Adams County deputies won’t face charges

Criminal charges will not be filed against three Adams County sheriff’s deputies who wounded a man after a September shootout at his home, according to a letter released Wednesday by 17th Judicial District Attorney Dave Young.

The wounded man, Troy Coen, told investigators he had decided he did not want to live anymore and had hoped the deputies would kill him. Instead, Coen was wounded in the chest and shoulder but survived. He now faces four counts of attempted first-degree murder, four counts of attempted first-degree assault and three counts of menacing.

“He claims he did not intend to shoot any of the officers but hoped they would kill him,” the letter said. “He says he stopped shooting because he was out of bullets.”

The officers cleared of wrongdoing are Sgt. Chris Eye, Senior Deputy Dustin Ball and Deputy Lance Kestel, according to a letter Young addressed to Adams County Sheriff Michael McIntosh.

Officers were called on Sept. 27 to Coen’s neighborhood after a resident reported that a man in a red pickup truck had pointed a gun at her husband. The resident told police they suspected it was their neighbor Coen, and the red pickup was parked in Coen’s driveway.

Coen, 55, later told police he was angry at the neighbors because he suspected their son had stolen marijuana plants from his backyard, the DA’s letter said.

In concluding his letter, Young wrote, “Thankfully, none of the officers involved in this lawful arrest were killed or seriously injured as a result of Mr. Coen’s actions.”