Defense says cold medicine to blame for TV reporter incident

By Sam Klomhaus, The Grand Junction Daily Sentinel

The man accused of strangling a TV reporter in December 2024 did so because he was having a bad reaction to Benadryl, according to his attorneys.

Patrick Egan, 40, was charged with second-degree assault, bias-motivated crimes and harassment after an incident in which police said Egan followed former KKCO/KGJT reporter Ja’Ronn Alex from near Delta to Grand Junction, shouting words to the effect of “Are you even a U.S. citizen? This is Trump’s America now! I’m a Marine and I took an oath to protect this country from people like you!” at Alex.

Alex testified in court Tuesday that he is of mixed-race descent, with his mother being a Pacific islander and his father being black.

The five-day trial started Monday with the seating of the jury.

During Tuesday's opening statements, Jennifer Gregory, one of Egan's defense attorneys, said Egan had been experiencing pain in his jaw from a prescription medication he had been taking for a long time, for which he was told to take Benadryl by an emergency room physician.

Benadryl is an over-the-counter antihistamine medication oftentimes used to combat cold symptoms.

The Benadryl led to a delirium, Gregory said, which included agitation and aggression.

“This is a case about medical delirium and not political aggression,” Gregory said.

Colorado's involuntary intoxication defense states that a person can’t be held responsible for committing a crime if they are not to blame for taking the substance that made them intoxicated.

Gregory also said Egan had wanted to contact a reporter when he started following Alex, who was driving in a company car with logos during the incident.

Alex testified Tuesday morning that Egan, who was driving a Sunshine Rides taxi, followed him from near Delta to Grand Junction, and shouted at him to identify himself while stopped at a stoplight.

Alex testified that he then drove to his workplace, where Egan accosted him in the parking lot, yelling similar statements about wanting to see Alex's ID and asking if Alex was an American citizen.

Alex is a Detroit native who obtained a degree from Clemson University in South Carolina.

Egan then grabbed Alex and took hold of his upper body, Alex testified, saying Egan wouldn't let go and that he couldn't breathe.

“He tackled me to the ground and put me in a stranglehold,” Alex said.

Egan was pulled off of Alex by his coworkers, according to court documents.

The incident was captured on security footage from the TV station but was partially blocked by a Christmas tree, Gregory said.

Alex said the blocked footage caused him to worry about the strength of the case.

KKCO General Manager Stacey Stewart, who witnessed the incident at the TV station, described watching Egan get out of his taxi and tackle Alex.

"It was a full low to the ground sprint and tackle," Stewart said.

Stewart said Egan appeared to have Alex in a choke hold before KKCO staff were able to separate the two. She said Egan's arm was around Alex's neck and Alex seemed to be having a hard time breathing.

Alex testified he had injuries to his back, neck and shoulder, as well as scrapes and abrasions, primarily on his knees.

Those injuries were not serious, he said, and did not require medical attention.

Gregory attempted to impeach Alex during cross examination, saying Alex told officers Egan had not gotten a good hold on his neck and later testified that he didn't recall saying that.

"He tried to put me in a lock but he didn't get a good lock on my neck, a stranglehold," Alex told police in a video that was played for the court.

Alex also told police he couldn't remember if he stopped breathing and later changed his story, according to Gregory.

"I remember the front of my throat hitting the back as he's strangling me," Alex said.

Alex said he had still been rattled from the incident when he spoke with police.

Gregory said that during the incident Egan was acting out of character because of the medication, and he started following Alex because he had breaking news to share with him.

Gregory also said it isn't in dispute whether Egan followed Alex and tackled him, but the reason he did was because of a bad reaction to the Benadryl, which he started taking two days before the incident.

“This all happened because of a medical reaction to Benadryl, not a political bias on Mr. Egan’s part,” Gregory said.

Sunshine Rides Operations Manager Eddie Calderon also testified Tuesday morning, saying he sent footage from within the car to the Grand Junction Police department. However, the full footage from the drive from Delta to Grand Junction from the taxi no longer exists.

Egan was arrested last month and charged with violation of a protection order after police said he sent harassing text messages to Calderon.

The trial is scheduled to continue through Friday.