Boulder County, Colo. - On September 5, 2026, an officer responded to Boulder Community Health regarding a 19‑year‑old strangulation victim. The victim reported that the alleged incident occurred earlier that morning at the apartment of Michael McGauley (DOB; 6/15/2002), a 24‑year‑old Boulder resident with whom she had been in a relationship. She stated McGauley was heavily intoxicated and became aggressive while they were at the apartment complex pool, at the hot tub and later inside his apartment, where he repeatedly slapped her, threatened her, and forced her to remove her clothing and get into his bed. The victim said he strangled her multiple times, pointed a loaded handgun at her head, and threatened to kill her. She eventually escaped around 9:30 a.m.and was taken to the hospital by a friend. Officers observed visible injuries including bruises, red marks, and indications of strangulation. The victim reported this was the second physical assault by McGauley and described escalating violence over the course of their relationship.

At the time of this offense, he was on supervised probation for an alcohol-related driving charge in Jefferson County.

Due to the severity of the allegations and identified lethality indicators, the District Attorney’s Office requested a $100,000 secured bond. While the judge agreed that the case involved significant lethality concerns and categorized it as aggravated, the court initially set bond at $10,000 secured with a $1,000 cash option.

A warrant was subsequently issued for the alleged probation violation on the Jefferson County case. In addition, on September 9th, the District Attorney’s Office filed a motion to modify and increase the bond. The court subsequently revoked the initial bond, issued a warrant, and imposed a new bond of $100,000 secured cash/surety. The court also ordered additional conditions should the defendant post bond.

District Attorney Michael Doughety stated, “With domestic violence cases, it is critical that the criminal justice system does it’s very best to gauge risk and then take the necessary steps to provide for the safety of a victim and our community. I appreciate the dedicated efforts of the Boulder police officers as well as that of our prosecution team. We will continue to fight for justice and community safety, including advocating for the appropriate bond in serious cases.”

Boulder Police Chief Steve Redfearn said. “The day this crime was reported to us, our officers worked together to tactically take this suspect into custody immediately due to the potential risk he posed. Peculiarly, the very next morning a magistrate disregarded the facts of this crime and the District Attorney’s request for a $100,000 bond. Instead, the magistrate granted him a $10,000 bond, which allowed him to be released from jail by 9 a.m. This decision, and the subsequent posting of bond of this offender caused great concern for all involved. We’re proud that our detectives were able to coordinate with the D.A.’s Office to arrest this suspect for possibly violating his probation and that a different judge recognized the potential danger this suspect posed, giving him the $100,000 bond the D.A. argued for. Our community, and especially victims of domestic violence deserve to be safe, and that responsibility belongs to all of us.”

The case is set for Return of Filing of Charges on September 16, 2026, at 130 pm.

As in every criminal case, these charges are merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.