ELIZABETH, Colo. — The Town of Elizabeth paid $150,000 to settle a lawsuit over use of excessive force by the police department, the law firm representing the plaintiff announced Monday.
In September of 2022, the lawyer representing Sean Page said his client was "unlawfully arrested and brutalized by multiple Elizabeth Police Department ("EPD") officers, including former Chief of Police Melvin Berghahn."
On Sept. 20, 2022, Page's dog got out of his yard. He asked a nearby construction crew to turn off their heavy machinery that was spooking the dog, in order to corral the dog back inside his home.
Page ended up explaining to the officers what was going on, and called the construction crew "a bunch of Republi-con scumbags," according to Newman | McNulty, LLC, who represented Page in his case.
Soon after, Chief Berghahn handcuffed Page and arrested him, according to Newman | McNulty, LLC.
"He grabbed Mr. Page for no reason whatsoever, slammed him to the ground... even as he cried out in pain... Mr. Page was left bloodied and handcuffed on the ground," Newman | McNulty, LLC, said.
Page was taken to jail and prosecuted for months, but a judge eventually dismissed the charges.
"The arrest violated Mr. Page's First Amendment rights," Newman | McNulty, LLC, said.