Fired Fort Collins cop gets prison for stalking

A fired Fort Collins police officer was sentenced on Friday to four years in prison for stalking a woman while on patrol.

Additionally, 30-year-old Jarett Branson, will serve 10 years of supervised probation and must register as a sex offender for what Eighth Judicial District Judge Julie Kunce Field deemed "startling, frustrating (and) concerning" behaviors that involved multiple women over a three-month span last summer while he was a solo patrol officer.

"You abused your authority," Field said. "I believe this community needs to be protected from you."

Branson in January pleaded guilty to Class 5 felony stalking as well as misdemeanor counts of unlawful sexual contact and official misconduct. Four years is the maximum prison sentence for the Class 5 felony, but Field ruled the case's aggravating circumstances could have doubled that to eight years.

Branson moved to Northern Colorado after a stint with police in Butte, Montana. He began working with Fort Collins Police Services in January, 2014 and became a solo officer in the summer, though still on his probationary period.

In the three months before allegations surfaced, Branson had a series of inappropriate relationships with women in the community who had called for help. Branson in one of his first calls was dispatched to a reported domestic violence, the Larimer District Attorney's Office said Friday. Once on scene, he had sex with a woman and then helped her complete paperwork for the initial domestic violence report.

As summer progressed, he began stalking a woman at her home and work. At one point, he force himself into her apartment and wrapped his arms around her, she testified on Friday in a packed Fort Collins courtroom.

"That was the day I knew he was a very dangerous man," she said. It wasn't until she reached out to someone she trusted who was well-versed in law enforcement that she felt she could report the matter.

She reported the incident to Fort Collins police on Sept. 9, and he was arrested the following week.

"Investigators were shocked and stunned that someone that they trusted had betrayed them so profoundly," Fort Collins Police Chief John Hutto read Friday. "Our family at Fort Collins police is angry and hurt. However we can proudly hold our heads high and tell the community that the despicable actions of Jarrett Branson, and any like him, are not now, nor will they ever be, tolerated."

Due to the sensitivity of the case, the Coloradoan is not releasing her name and is withholding the names and relationships of seven women in both Colorado and Montana who are cited in court documents and protection orders.

Defense attorneys argued that Branson was guilty of a big ego that got the best of him. But supporters also said prison would only destroy any hope of quick recovery, simultaneously ravaging his family — his wife, now pregnant, has stood by him through the ordeal.

He would use his power as a cop to flirt with women, had a lapse in judgment and took advantage of situations, but he was was not the sexual deviant that prosecutors made him out to be, attorneys, friend and family said.

"Jarett Branson is back. My husband is back, and he can and will do better in the future," said his wife, Brianna.

As Field imposed the sentence, Branson stood at the podium and hung his head. He was immediately remanded into custody and was to be transported to the Larimer County jail. His eyes stayed locked on his wife's as deputies secured the handcuffs and led him out the side door.

"I'm angry at myself for what I have done. I never meant to hurt anyone but I understand how I did," Branson told the judge, before he was sentenced, pausing occasionally to wipe back tears. "I am a good person and I have been humbled."

Reporter Jason Pohl covers breaking news and law enforcement for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.