Denver airport’s top lawyer resigns, says physical demonstration at holiday party was “mistake”

The apical lawyer for Denver International Airport resigned this week amid a metropolis probe into his behaviour astatine a caller vacation enactment for DIA executives.

Scott McCoy, DIA’s wide counsel, acknowledged during an interrogation Thursday that helium got carnal with different lawyer — 1 of his subordinates — during an impromptu objection of a constabulary enactment that seemingly caught the different feline disconnected defender during the Dec. 16 event. He called it a mistake to interaction anyone “without getting their consent.”

But helium disputed a CBS4 report’s characterizations of the level of unit earlier this week, saying helium didn’t recognize until the adjacent time that his actions were perceived by the different lawyer and others to beryllium inappropriate. He said they did not look to judge his apologies. An effort to scope the different lawyer was not instantly palmy Thursday.

“I didn’t privation it to proceed to beryllium a distraction,” McCoy said, truthful helium submitted his resignation, which takes effect Saturday.

His behaviour had drawn scrutiny from the Denver City Attorney’s Office, which appointed him to the station astatine DIA. The dual relation is considered an enforcement vice president-level presumption astatine the airport. He started the occupation successful aboriginal May, overseeing an airdrome ineligible unit of 18.

Jacqlin Davis, the nationalist accusation serviceman for the City Attorney’s Office, issued a connection Thursday saying the bureau “promptly investigated the unfortunate incidental that took spot astatine DEN’s vacation gathering.” She confirmed that McCoy had resigned and said, “Because this is simply a unit matter, the CAO declines to supply immoderate further comment.”

The incidental played retired successful a substance of seconds during the evening enactment astatine a edifice adjacent DIA, which drew airdrome CEO Phil Washington and different high-level officials. McCoy said helium joined respective radical successful a “casual conversation” astir constabulary use-of-force practices and immoderate calls to “defund the police” successful the aftermath of high-profile deaths of radical successful constabulary custody successful caller years.

While helium discussed the value of constabulary de-escalation techniques, McCoy said, helium decided to prosecute successful role-playing to exemplify his constituent — by modeling however a idiosyncratic mightiness defy apprehension and provoke an officer, a concern that would necessitate strategical reasoning connected the officer’s portion to defuse. It’s a taxable he’s passionate about, helium said.

So helium turned to the different airdrome attorney, McCoy said, and touched him repeatedly connected his precocious torso, waved his hands astatine the different attorney’s look and shouted.

McCoy acknowledged that helium caught the different lawyer by surprise.

But helium disputed that helium “violently slapped” the workfellow successful the look aggregate times successful a mode that astir knocked him retired of his chair. That is however the CBS4 report connected Monday characterized his conduct, citing an unnamed source. McCoy told The Post he’d had precise small intoxicant to portion and was not intoxicated — “absolutely not.”

“My recollection is that I was touching (the different attorney) connected the shoulder, and I was besides waving my manus truly adjacent to his face,” McCoy said, earlier adding: “I shouldn’t person touched anybody without making myself truly clear. That was a mistake.”