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Teenager arrested at Steamboat Springs High School strikes plea deal that dismisses one charge

18-year-old Zackery Durham and 19-year-old Damion Rhodes are facing charges for interference with an educational institution and attempted felony menacing following a bond and protection order issued by Routt County Court on Wednesday, Sept. 28, 2022.
Zachery Durham, featured left, struck a plea deal with prosecutors that dismissed one of his charges. Durham pled guilty to one count of Interference with Staff, Faculty or Students of an Educational Institution by Means of a Credible Threat.
City of Steamboat Springs/Courtesy photo

Zachery Durham, 18, pleaded guilty to one count of Interference with Staff, Faculty or Students of an Educational Institution by Means of a Credible Threat in Routt County Court on Wednesday, Feb. 8.

The charge is a class 1 misdemeanor and the plea deal struck dismissed one count of Conspiracy to Commit Menacing.

The proposed sentence is one year of supervised probation and six days in jail. Durham will appear in court April 27 for a sentencing hearing. The terms and conditions of his probation will be open to the judge’s discretion.



An additional follow-up investigation was conducted while the case was pending. Prior to the sentencing date, the probation department will do a pre-sentence investigation and provide that to the judge and the parties beforehand.

Durham was arrested Sept. 27 alongside Damion Rhodes, after Durham was seen in a photo online with what appeared to be a rifle and a caption reading, “Full on drive by (expletive) here.”



During the arrest, police reportedly seized an airsoft rifle designed to look like an AR-15 and swords from one of the defendant’s vehicles.

Police said they received word of Durham’s photo via a service for anonymously reporting concerns or threats to authorities, Safe2Tell. After the photo was reported, Steamboat police went to the high school, where the officers asked the school’s staff about Durham.

Upon learning Durham might be in the area, the school’s staff placed the school in secure perimeter, which remained in effect for 18 minutes.

Rhodes will have a status conference on Wednesday, March 1.


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