Man Who Held Nurse Practitioner Hostage Faces Charges

An Aurora man who briefly held a nurse practitioner hostage at the Denver VA clinic last week now faces charges.

Johnie Wayne Roth, 77, brought a .22 revolver to his appointment at the VA last Thursday, a Department of Justice news release said:

As Roth and the nurse practitioner met in her office, the defendant produced a handgun from a bag that he had brought with him to his appointment. Investigators learned that Roth taken over the room, and pointed the gun at his head, and waived it around the room.

He wanted police to shoot him, an investigation by the VA Office of Inspector General found.

“The Veterans Administration police officers, including the acting deputy chief, showed courage in confronting the defendant, convincing him to let his hostage go and to drop his weapon,” U.S. Attorney John Walsh said in a statement.

If convicted, Roth could be sentenced to 20 years in prison and be required to pay a $250,000 fine. The charges include assaulting, impeding or interfering with an employee of the United States in performance of official duties and use of a deadly or dangerous weapon.