H. Michael Steinberg has 42+ years of experience practicing Colorado criminal law. Mr. Steinberg strives to stay current with the ever changing aspects of criminal law issues and updates resulting in his extensive knowledge of successful criminal defense as well as appellate work. He is also an active member of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers, the Colorado Criminal Defense Bar Association, the Colorado Trial Lawyer's Association, and the Colorado and Arapahoe Bar Associations.

Articles Posted in Witness Tampering in Colorado

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Quick Answer

No, not automatically. Contacting a witness or victim is not, by itself, witness tampering. Under C.R.S. § 18-8-707, the prosecution must prove that you intentionally attempted to induce the person to testify falsely, withhold testimony, skip a proceeding they were legally summoned to, or avoid a summons, and that you did it without a bribe or threat. The crime is a class 4 felony.

But the contact can still be a serious problem. A mandatory protection order or a bond condition may forbid all contact, so a harmless text can be charged as a separate crime. And what you say matters. Asking a witness to “drop the charges” or “not show up” is exactly the conduct prosecutors charge.

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