A Larimer County man has been sentenced to 48 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections after a 2023 standoff at a self-storage facility near the Johnstown exit on Interstate 25, according to the Weld County District Attorney’s Office.
The DA’s Office said the incident happened on August 4, 2023, when investigators with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Criminal Impact Unit responded to the storage complex to locate Zachary Widener, who had multiple no-bond warrants. When officers approached him, Widener retreated into a storage unit and barricaded himself inside, according to prosecutors.
The Weld County DA said law enforcement attempted negotiations for several hours before the Larimer County All Hazards Crisis Response Team responded to assist. During the nearly four-hour standoff, Widener repeatedly refused commands to surrender peacefully, made verbal threats toward law enforcement, and revved the engine of a truck parked inside the storage unit, according to the DA’s Office.
Deputies eventually breached the unit door and deployed a chemical munition. According to prosecutors, Widener then reversed the truck into the back wall, revved the engine, and drove through the storage unit door, striking the All-Hazards Crisis Response BearCat vehicle and narrowly missing two deputies. The DA’s Office said no deputies were injured.
Widener was taken into custody after attempting to crawl underneath the BearCat vehicle, according to the DA’s Office.
In March 2026, a Weld County jury found Widener guilty of two counts of attempted first-degree murder — extreme indifference — and related charges connected to the incident. On May 14, 2026, he was sentenced to 48 years in prison.
Deputy District Attorneys Lacy Wells and Dustin Funk prosecuted the case.
All details in this report are according to the Weld County District Attorney’s Office.
