Fort Collins police link pot edibles to injured jumper

Fort Collins police are investigating whether marijuana was a factor when a 19-year-old man threw himself out of a third-story window earlier this month.

Investigators with the Colorado Marijuana Enforcement Division are assisting local police who continue their probe into what happened about 9:12 p.m. April 14 at a Fort Collins apartment complex.

Police say marijuana was the only substance in the man's system at the time of the incident, but they are withholding details about the state's role in the investigation.

The state as of Tuesday afternoon had not responded to a request for comment.

The state agency's involvement, shared Tuesday with the Coloradoan, followed a somewhat unusual move Monday in which Fort Collins police announced in a two-paragraph news release their investigation into whether Austin Essig ingested edible cannabis before jumping through the glass window of an apartment.

Police said media inquiries into the case prompted Monday's release — six days after the man was injured near the intersection of Shields Street and Prospect Road.

On a Fort Collins Police Services' Facebook page post about the incident, a person writing under the profile name Austin Essig admitted to consuming an edible marijuana brownie and said he followed dosage instructions prior to the incident, though he would not comment on who supplied him with the edibles.

"I can also say that my reaction to the marijuana was far from normal, and that this isn't common at all," the post read. "Currently researching the subject further."

As of Tuesday evening, the Coloradoan could not confirm whether the individual posting was the same man police say jumped from the window.

A 19-year-old college student from Wyoming last year jumped to his death from a Denver hotel after consuming a cannabis-infused cookie. Autopsy reports listed marijuana intoxication as a "significant contributing factor," the Associate Press reported.

Controversy has since swirled across Colorado and the U.S. in how to regulate marijuana edibles.

"We did not release the information right away so we had time to interview everyone involved with the investigation. We knew the media would jump on this and did not want people to hesitate speaking with us due to the media exposure," Deputy Chief Cory Christensen said Tuesday in a statement.

Police would not share details about what happened that night when emergency crews were dispatched to a grassy area near the apartment building at 1050 Hobbit St. That's where they found Essig with "nonlife-threatening" injuries. Investigators have not yet released details about the man's injuries.

Fort Collins police are weighing whether charges may be filed against the individual who supplied the man with marijuana edibles. Individuals must be at least 21 years of age to buy recreational marijuana and related products.

The case is the first instance in Fort Collins in which investigators believe marijuana may have been involved in a person's decision to jump from a building. Christensen said police expect their investigation to be complete by "the end of this week."

Spokespersons with Colorado State University and Front Raange Community College said Essig was not a current or former student.

Glass shards on Tuesday still lined the grassy area under the apartment window, and a tan slab of building siding has taken the place of the shattered window.

A man who said he was one of Essig's roommates acknowledged Tuesday morning that the man has not been staying at the apartment in recent days. He declined to comment further.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call Detective Scott Crumbaker at 970-416-2271 or Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868. Crime Stoppers may also be reached at www.stopcriminals.org.

Check Coloradoan.com for more details on this story as they become available.

Reporter Jason Pohl covers breaking news for the Coloradoan. Follow him on Twitter: @pohl_jason.