4/8/2009
ERIN MATHEWS
Gypsum resident Gary Olson was found not guilty Wednesday of making a criminal threat against Saline County Planning and Zoning Director Vicki Koepsel.
The jury deliberated for about 21/2 hours before unanimously agreeing that a statement Olson made while discussing zoning issues with Koepsel on Dec. 20, 2007, did not constitute a felony.
“It’s not like a tie goes to the runner,” attorney Roger Struble, who represented Olson, said during his closing argument. “The state’s got a burden to prove beyond a reasonable doubt.”
He said he thought 12 people could probably easily agree that Olson was guilty of stupidity for mentioning getting a gun to Koepsel after she told him he would have to resolve zoning issues before selling a portion of his property in Kipp. However, he told jurors, Olson had no motive for making a threat against Koepsel.
Prosecutor Christina Trocheck, an assistant county attorney, said Olson’s comments to Koepsel were designed to terrorize.
“This was not an I-could-just-kill-this-person comment,” Trocheck said during closing arguments. “That is not what we have here. We have a specific threat here.”


For more on the jury's verdict, read reporter Erin Mathews' story in Thursday's Salina Journal.