BOULDER COUNTY, Colo. — A suspect was arrested earlier this month following a series of crimes along US 36 in unincorporated Boulder County. Now, an unsealed affidavit in the case obtained by Denver7 Monday is providing additional details for the crimes 66-year-old Daniel Kent Townsend is accused of committing.
Deputies say Townsend's crime spree began the afternoon of Sept. 1 while he was driving his white Honda CRV south on US 36.
At around 4:21 p.m. that day, Townsend reportedly rammed five times into the vehicle of a woman as both drove south on the highway. Deputies said the woman was eventually forced off the road and into an open field about a mile later. Townsend reportedly then fled the scene.
Responding deputies found the woman’s truck had damage on the rear bumper, three flat tires, a broken back left taillight and damage for the front left bumper. In all, deputies estimated her vehicle sustained around $5,000 in damages.
About 15 minutes after that first hit-and-run, deputies learned of an assault five miles north, not far from St. Vrain Road.
In that incident, Townsend reportedly rammed into another woman’s vehicle as she pulled into the driveway of a home which was around 1/8 miles long. The woman told deputies she eventually stopped the vehicle closer to the house but remained in the car. That’s when Townsend reportedly got out and began to yell at her and her daughter, who was in the passenger seat.
Arresting documents show Townsend then got in the back of a pickup truck that was on the property and pulled out cowboy boots and jeans and placed them behind the woman’s car, stating “something to the effect of ‘Blow this up.’”
The woman then exited her vehicle and was confronted by Townsend, who punched her in the face before fleeing the scene, according to the affidavit.
Deputies who responded to investigate found the woman sustained an injury to her lower lip and damages to her car — including the back left bumper, the back left taillight and a bicycle rack — estimated at around $2,500.
In a third incident, Townsend is accused of threatening to kill a 16-year-old girl more than once after she witnessed what was happening during the second incident and tried to help.
Deputies said Townsend saw the teenage girl and began to jog or run after her before getting back into his vehicle where he began to drive toward her.
“[The girl] was able to hide under a nearby horse trailer and could hear Townsend asking where she was by yelling out the window, according to the arrest affidavit. Deputies said the teenage girl “felt that Townsend was going to try and killer her.”
After hearing sirens in the area, Townsend reportedly began to drive away from the home. While driving, he ran into the fence of another home, damaging a large section of the fence and fence poles. Deputies said Townsend then rammed into the homeowner’s gate. They estimated damages to her property to equal around $2,000.
Deputies then observed that Townsend was revving his engine after becoming stuck in a ditch about 20-30 yards off the driveway of the fourth incident.
Responding deputies observed an empty 750 ml bottle of Jim Beam Fire liquor in the back, on the floorboard, near the passenger side. They also observed that Townsend’s speech was slurred and that he had bloodshot eyes and “a disorganized thought process,” according to the affidavit.
They also saw that Townsend was drinking out of a 7/11 coffee cup which appeared to be liquor, which was later confirmed to be a type of cinnamon whisky.
Townsend then became aggressive when commanded to exit the vehicle , threatening to kill deputies and climbing over the center console before he got out of the car.
“This process took a long time to complete as Townsend was unsteady with his movements and had a hard time climbing over the seat,” arresting documents state.
He was taken to Boulder Community Health Hospital for treatment and was eventually released to be transferred to the Boulder County Jail, where he was booked on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including attempted first-degree murder – extreme indifference, vehicular assault – reckless driving with serious bodily injury to a non-family member, menacing, and several counts of criminal mischief.
Court records obtained by Denver7 show Townsend has had run-ins with the law for more than decade.
He pleaded guilty to possession of a controlled substance in El Paso County in 2025, for which he was sentenced to three years’ probation. Two years earlier, in 2023, he pleaded guilty to criminal mischief in El Paso County.
In 2021, he had a careless driving sentence in Colorado Springs deferred after completing a restorative justice program. Four years earlier, in 2017, he pleaded guilty to driving without a license in Colorado Springs. And in 2015, he pleaded guilty to careless driving in El Paso County, for which he was sentenced to 12 months of unsupervised probation.
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