Almost anything you do on an ordinary day, from a rude gesture in traffic to a heated text message, can be turned into a harassment charge in Colorado. That reality makes harassment one of the easiest accusations for prosecutors to file and one of the most confusing for the people who suddenly find themselves accused of it.
If you are facing a harassment charge, you do not have to sort through the confusion alone. The team at Shazam Kianpour & Associates has spent more than 22 years defending Coloradans against criminal and traffic accusations across the Denver Front Range, and we treat every client with the patience and respect they deserve in these kinds of stressful moments. Harassment sits within a wider group of violent crime charges in Colorado, and a strong defense starts with knowing exactly what the state has to prove. Our team has seen how a single bad moment can threaten your job, your reputation, and your freedom, and we are here to help you protect all three.
Colorado law defines harassment broadly, which is part of the reason why so many people are surprised to be charged with it at all. You can be accused of harassment when, with the intent to harass, annoy, or alarm another person, you strike, shove, kick, or touch them, follow them in a public place, or aim obscene language or gestures at them. You can also be charged when you contact someone by phone, text, or another electronic message with the intent to threaten or alarm them.
The word that matters most here is intent. A loud argument, a frustrated phone call, or an offensive gesture is not automatically a crime. Prosecutors must prove you meant to harass, annoy, or alarm the other person, and that is often harder to show than it first appears.
Many of our clients say the same thing when they first call us, and they are right to feel blindsided. Harassment is sometimes filed when officers or prosecutors do not like a situation but are not sure what else to do with it. The charge becomes far more serious when it is filed as an act of domestic violence.
Imagine a couple having an argument in a car. One of them sticks a hand out the window and makes a rude gesture while driving away. The other calls the police, and within the hour officers are making an arrest. Since Colorado treats domestic violence cases differently, that person must spend the night in jail before a judge can set bond. A fleeting moment of anger has turned into a criminal record that can follow someone to a job interview, a lease application, or a loan office.
The penalties for harassment have changed in recent years, so older information online is often wrong. As of 2026, most harassment charges are Class 2 misdemeanors, which can carry up to 120 days in jail and a fine of up to $750. An obscene gesture or comment in public is now treated as a lower-level petty offense, while bias-motivated harassment can rise to a class 1 misdemeanor with up to 364 days in jail.
Police and prosecutors can also choose whether to file your case in state court or municipal court, and either way, you face a misdemeanor that can reshape your whole life. In state court, harassment is often filed alongside third-degree assault because it is treated as a lesser-included offense of that charge. If you are also facing assault charges, the stakes climb quickly, and your defense has to account for both at once.
Unwanted contact between people is more common than many realize. The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported that about 1.3 percent of people age 16 or older, roughly 3.4 million Americans, were victims of stalking in a single year. Since harassment accusations often grow out of these same kinds of personal disputes, a careful defense matters from the very start.
A harassment charge is not a conviction, and there are several strong ways to fight back. The best approach depends on the facts of your case, but a few defenses come up again and again.
We often build a defense around one or more of the following points:
Each of these defenses rises or falls on the details, which is why an early and honest conversation about what really happened gives us the best chance to help you.
A harassment charge can feel like it defines you, but it does not have to. Our founding attorney, Shazam Kianpour, is a former government defender who graduated at the top of his criminal law class and has tried a wide range of harassment, assault, and domestic violence cases throughout Colorado. He built our firm on a simple belief that people facing one of the hardest moments of their lives deserve a lawyer who treats them with respect rather than judgment.
We are recognized by the National Trial Lawyers and Super Lawyers, and we offer free consultations 24 hours a day because an arrest does not wait for business hours. If police are at your door right now, or if you have already been charged, the sooner we get involved, the more options we may be able to protect for you. When you are ready to talk, request your free consultation and let us start building your defense today.
