David Lesh arrested after Summit County snowmobile incident
Summit Daily
Courtesy photo
SUMMIT COUNTY — A Denver-area man notorious for controversial social media stunts and snowmobile-related offenses is now facing assault charges after an incident in unincorporated Summit County in March.
The Summit County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release that David Lesh reportedly assaulted another snowmobiler near the Spring Creek Trailhead a little before 1 p.m. on March 25. The snowmobiler sustained injuries to the head and neck and captured the alleged assault on his GoPro camera.
When deputies arrived on scene that night, Lesh was no longer in the area, the release states. Witnesses also confirmed the assault, according to the Sheriff’s Office, and deputies obtained the video footage.
On April 17, an arrest warrant for second-degree assault, a felony, and third-degree assault, a misdemeanor, was issued for Lesh’s arrest, the release states. He reportedly turned himself in to the Glendale Police Department days later and was released on a $7,500 bond.
Early last year, a federal judge sentenced Lesh to $10,000 in fines and 160 hours of useful public service after he was convicted of two petty offenses for riding a snowmobile at Keystone Resort’s terrain park in April 2020. Social-media posts in 2020 depicting Lesh seemingly defecating in Maroon Lake and walking on a log at Hanging Lake caught the ire of U.S. Forest Service officials and were used as evidence for one of the petty offense charges, according to reporting by The Aspen Times. He says the photos were digitally altered, and he is appealing the conviction.
He was also accused of riding his snowmobile in a closed area of Independence Pass in July 3, 2019, and reached a plea deal in that case requiring him to pay a $500 fine and perform 50 hours of community service.
The investigation into the incident at the Spring Creek Trailhead is ongoing, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Anyone who may have witnessed the alleged assault or has information regarding the investigation should call Detective Brandon Vail at 970-423-8953.
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