Colorado Supreme Court arsonist takes deal, pleads guilty

An Arizona man accused of causing $35 million in damage to the Colorado Supreme Court building in 2024 took a deal and pleaded guilty last week, according to court records.

Brandon Olsen, 46, pleaded guilty Friday to one count of felony arson, court records show.

That plea deal dropped four other charges from his case, including criminal mischief, aggravated robbery, a second count of felony arson and a weapons charge.

Olsen shot his way into the Ralph L. Carr Judicial Center at about 1:15 a.m. on Jan. 2, 2024, while fleeing from a car crash at 13th Avenue and Lincoln Street, police said.

Once inside, police said he threatened an unarmed security guard and started a fire on the courthouse’s seventh floor.

The building’s sprinklers extinguished the seventh-floor fire, but caused significant water damage to the courthouse and rendered several floors unusable, according to courthouse officials.

Olsen called 911 at 3 a.m. and surrendered to Denver police. No one was injured during the incident.

After nearly 10 months of extensive repairs and cleaning, the Colorado Supreme Court building partially reopened to the public in October. The third through seventh floors were all damaged and remain closed, with several having to be rebuilt from scratch.

Olsen is set to be sentenced on Dec. 12, according to court records.

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