Feb. 8—CHEYENNE — A local man dealing with personal turmoil was arrested Tuesday morning by the Cheyenne Police Department after he had threatening interactions with a Cheyenne Board of Public Utilities employee and his ex-wife.

Police first contacted 40-year-old Joshua Koldeway at the beginning of February, after reports of harassment at his residence were called in to CPD. Within the department, records personnel told the investigating officer that Koldeway had repeatedly harassed CPD civilian employees over the phone by “yelling and cussing” at them, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Tuesday.

The responding officer attempted to call Koldeway, but he hung up before they could ask him any questions. He didn’t respond to follow-up calls, the officer wrote.

The following day, detectives were able to make contact with a woman listed as Koldeway’s wife, who told police that she and Koldeway were no longer married.

“I called (his ex-wife), and I inquired about Joshua,” the officer wrote in their affidavit. “She advised me that she fears Joshua and had also been experiencing issues with him harassing her through text message.”

The detective then quoted several text messages between Koldeway and his ex-wife where he berates her, threatens to call local and U.S. political officials, and questions her ability to take care of their two young children.

The officer wrote that he “has displayed a pattern of behavior in order to scare and harass (his ex-wife) through electronic communications and is attempting to control her actions.” They added that the woman was “terrified” of Koldeway and was worried about their children’s safety.

When authorities met with Koldeway on Tuesday, he had just had an altercation with a BOPU technician regarding late payments for his water bill, according to a news release sent out Wednesday by CPD.

According to the release, Koldeway was initially not responsive when the technician arrived at his home. The technician subsequently shut off his water.

“Moments later, Koldeway exited the house and began yelling at the technician,” the release said. “He reportedly threw a curb box lid and a mat into the street, then approached the technician’s city vehicle. The back hatch was open, with tools inside. Koldeway reached in, took a pickaxe from the vehicle, and leaned it against the front of his house.

“Koldeway then retrieved a baseball bat and hit the front passenger window of the vehicle, causing it to shatter. He walked back into the house and came out carrying a knife. He continued yelling at the employee and threatened to slash his tires. The employee then moved his work vehicle.”

Koldeway was arrested upon the arrival of CPD shortly thereafter, and the Laramie County District Attorney filed stalking charges Tuesday against the man in Circuit Court. CPD also submitted a probable cause affidavit requesting aggravated assault, damaging property and burglary from a vehicle charges after the altercation with the BOPU technician.

Koldeway also published several posts on Facebook — more than a dozen since Saturday — where he shared photographs of police on his doorstep, and alleged that Mayor Patrick Collins and the city have been harassing him for the past four months.

In a post that appears to show someone in an orange vest on a residence’s front lawn, Koldeway said that “Mayor Collins ordered BOPU to shut off my water.” In a subsequent post, he appeared to provide evidence of taking the BOPU worker’s pickaxe and walking toward his residence. The image is captioned “This is MY pick axe now! Thanks mayor collins!”

He also posted several pictures of the mayor, calling him the “worst mayor in America.” In a post pinned to the top of his profile, Koldeway said he has called for the resignation of the mayor and city officials over what he called “four months of non-stop abuse of my civil rights.”

While the Wyoming Tribune Eagle was able to obtain court documents pertaining to the stalking charge, no documents were available regarding the assault, property damage and burglary charges as of Wednesday afternoon.

Samir Knox is the Wyoming Tribune Eagle’s criminal justice and public safety reporter. He can be reached by email at sknox@wyomingnews.com or by phone at 307-633-3152. Follow him on Twitter at @bySamirKnox.