Colorado man accused of assault at popular Douglas County dog park

Colorado Parks and Wildlife is warning visitors to Chatfield State Park's Dog Off-Leash Area about a man behind what officers call a "pattern of violent behavior" over several years.

Sixty-nine-year-old Laurence Burley was arrested by Colorado Parks and Wildlife officers on Oct. 7 in connection with an assault at the Chatfield State Park Dog Off-Leash Area in 2024.

Park-goers say "Larry" Burley was often seen in the evenings at the Chatfield dog park with his two German shepherds. 

"He seemed a little odd," said dog park visitor Stan Mossberger. "He really wouldn't make eye contact, and I guess it was just his demeanor, it seemed like something was off."

"He usually came around the same time we did," said dog park visitor Paul Headden. "He seemed pretty competent, a nice fellow."

They had mixed reviews about their encounters with him.

"His dog sort of played with mine and all that," Headden said. "They've always been pretty cordial, pretty nice."

"I've seen him actually quite a few times," Mossberger said. "He really didn't take care of his dogs. I was a little worried that they were going to attack mine."

According to arrest documents, it was a fight between dogs that escalated to an assault on one of their owners in November 2024.

The victim reported a man approached him after their dogs got into a fight at the park. The victim says the man shined a flashlight in his eyes, punched him and repeatedly beat him with the flashlight.

The victim sustained broken ribs, a concussion, and severe cuts to his head. Two years later, he told officers he still has headaches and vision problems.

Arrest documents say the man who attacked that victim was Burley.

"Extremely surprising, yeah, very surprised. I would not have expected him to have that kind of behavior," Headden said.

Law enforcement has linked Burley to two other incidents for which he has not been charged.

One was in February 2024, when another man says he was attacked in the park by a man upset over the use of his flashlight.

Then last month, a woman says a man aggressively shined a flashlight in her face. She said it was the second occasion the man had done so at the park.

That's the incident that led police to the 69-year-old.

Arrest documents say Burley admitted to both 2024 fights, claiming the other men struck him first. He also said he had previously gotten "mad at people with super bright flashlights."

"I'm just very surprised and sort of sad about it all, because I always thought of him as a friend," Headden said.

Burley was charged with first-degree assault, harassment, reckless endangerment and disorderly conduct in the November 2024 case.

Another woman told CBS Colorado she had a strange encounter with Burley at Chatfield two months ago. She said he first was shaking an aerosol can, then disappeared behind a tree. She said he came back with "a deranged look" and approached her to show her a wooden box. She was uncomfortable and quickly left, even posting online about the odd encounter.

CPW believes there may be more victims of Burley out there. They say other people may have encountered Burley with his two German shepherds at Chatfield and Cherry Creek state parks. Officers said Burley shines a flashlight into victims' eyes during these encounters. Investigators believe Burley drives a gray Mercury Mariner or white Subaru. Information on additional assaults can be reported to timothy.abt@state.co.us.

"We don't need people like that in the dog park. Most people here are really nice, talk to each other," Mossberger said. "Hopefully we won't see more people like him, and hopefully he won't be back."

Colorado court records do not suggest that Burley has a violent criminal history.

While Burley was arrested on Oct. 7, he has since been released. He picked up the phone when CBS Colorado's Olivia Young called him, but directed her to his lawyer for a statement. CBS Colorado has not yet heard back from Burley's attorney.