AURORA | A 77-year-old Aurora man is in federal custody after federal prosecutors say he held a nurse practitioner hostage last week at the Veterans Administration hospital in Denver.
Johnie Wayne Roth has been charged with assault, impeding or interfering with an employee of the United States in performance of official duties and use of a deadly or dangerous weapon, according to a statement from the United States Attorney’s Office.
Prosecutors said Roth had an appointment with the practitioner at the hospital Dec. 3 and when they went into the practitioner’s office, he pulled out a .22-caliber revolver. Roth waved the gun around and pointed it at his head before the nurse practitioner was able to call for help.
Roth never fired a shot but wanted police to kill him, prosecutors said, and eventually gave the gun to police.
If convicted, Roth faces no more than 20 years in federal prison, and up to a $250,000 fine.