Federal agent charged with assault and criminal mischief in Colorado

Key Points:

• Nicholas Rice, a US Customs and Border Protection officer, has been charged with third-degree assault and criminal mischief for an incident in Durango, Colorado, where he was filmed grabbing a female protester by the hair, placing her in a chokehold, and shoving her to the ground.
• The incident occurred amid protests against the detention of a Colombian asylum-seeking family, with protester Francis Stagi, a retired hypnotist, alleging Rice forcefully hit her hand, caused her phone to be lost, and physically assaulted her.
• The Colorado Bureau of Investigations conducted an inquiry at the local police's request, while the Department of Homeland Security continues to gather facts and has stated the officer was under investigation.
• This case is notable as a rare instance of a federal immigration agent being criminally charged for misconduct during the Trump administration, with a similar recent case in Minnesota involving an ICE agent charged with assault.
• Rice is scheduled to appear in court on May 27, and Stagi expressed relief at the charges but felt they should be more severe, citing lasting psychological effects from the assault.