Rabblerousing influencer David Lesh is on trial in Summit County court this week for his most serious charges yet.
This time Lesh is accused of personal beef that allegedly turned into felony assault. He pleaded not guilty to tackling and choking another man while snowmobiling in 2023.
Police reports claim the two men had a long history of not getting along. This history erupted when they were riding with a group in north Summit. There were witnesses, and most of the brawl was caught on GoPro camera, but with a catch – it was pointed away from the two men and mostly captured audio.
Jury selection started Monday. Final statements are Friday.
This is the latest in a growing list of High Country charges for Lesh, a Chicago native who grew up in India before returning to the U.S. and eventually settling in Colorado.
Unlike the GoPro footage, which shows little, he if often accused of showing too much.
Starting in 2019 he was filmed snowmobiling on Independence Pass, where motorized travel is outlawed. He was fined and given public service.
In 2020 he was accused of trespassing at the Keystone Resort terrain park during pandemic shutdown, when he poached the jumps on his snowmobile and posted the evidence to Instagram. Vail Daily reports those charges were partially dropped when lawyers with New Civil Liberties Alliance argued a conviction would set a dangerous precedent for anyone taking personal photos on public lands.
Lesh also posted doctored images of him pooping in Maroon Lake and dipping in Hanging Lake, two of the most-photographed places in the state.