Man who went on costly rampage inside Colorado government building pleads guilty

An incident in Denver that started with a drug-induced psychotic episode and ended with the largest single-location insurance claim for the state of Colorado has earned a man 8 years in prison.

Brandon Olsen, 46, is accused of breaking into the Colorado Supreme Court building on East 14th Avenue in early 2024. He set three fires and shot out multiple windows before calling 911 on himself.

The sprinklers ran for hours, dropping inches of water and destroying nearly everything on the fifth, sixth and seventh floors. The rampage ended up causing an estimated $25 million worth of damage.

Olsen pleaded guilty to one count of arson and must also pay restitution. The exact amount is still being determined.

Denver District Attorney John Walsh said Olsen was on fentanyl and methamphetamine at the time of the break-in. 

"(His) addiction led to his actions, threatening two people's lives, causing tens of millions of dollars in damage, and severely disrupting the work of the Colorado Judicial Branch, the Colorado Department of Law, and numerous other government agencies -- a disruption that continues to this day," Walsh said in a prepared statement. "But addiction does not excuse Olsen's actions, as he himself acknowledged today, and this afternoon he was held accountable for the extensive damage and disruption that he caused."