A Jefferson County district judge on Tuesday sentenced former Mountain View Town Councilman Brent Metz to work release and probation for shooting a 17-year-old boy in the face in 2024.
Judge Russell Klein sentenced Metz to three months of work release and four years of probation after hearing emotional statements from the mothers of the two teen victims and from Metz, along with arguments from the prosecution and defense.
Klein told the courtroom that although the prison sentence requested by the prosecution was not appropriate because of Metz’s lack of criminal history, Metz’s attorney’s proposal of a year of probation “doesn’t really properly address the gravity of what took place in this case.”
“A child being shot in the face is a trauma that can never be taken away from them, and that is a very serious offense,” Klein said.
Jack Howard was 17 years old when he and 15-year-old Luke Brookhouser stumbled upon Metz’s property near Conifer while looking for a place to take homecoming photos in September 2024.
The pair hopped the fence, knocked on a barn door and were sitting in their car writing a note to ask permission to return to take photos when Metz pulled up behind them and got out of his truck.
Metz’s attorneys, David Jones and Christopher Decker, have argued that Metz’s gun went off unintentionally while he was getting out of his vehicle. Deputy District Attorney Christopher Johnson argued that Metz fired the gun.
Howard was shot in the face, and the fragmented bullet broke his nose and hit his eye, lip, tooth and arm, according to a lawsuit.
A Jefferson County jury in June convicted Metz of third-degree assault and illegal discharge of a firearm in the shooting and acquitted him of two counts of felony menacing.
On Tuesday, Brookhouser’s mother, Tiffany, read a letter her son wrote to the court because he could not attend the sentencing hearing.
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In the letter, the teen talked about the pain he and those around him have gone through and criticized Metz for not apologizing until it benefited him.
“He will never know what it’s like to constantly have to relive that moment, and he will never be able to take back what he did,” Luke Brookhouser wrote.
Howard’s mother, Allison, also addressed the court and called out Metz for not apologizing or taking responsibility for the shooting.
“What happened that day did not end when the bleeding stopped,” she said. “It changed these boys forever.”
Metz also addressed the court and started by apologizing to the teens and their families.
“I know that an apology cannot erase what occurred or undo the impact it has had on your lives. I can only tell you there hasn’t been a single day since that accident that I have not thought of and prayed for you and your family,” he said.
Before announcing the sentence, Klein said he’s still not clear why Metz parked in a way that stopped the boys from leaving or why he unholstered the gun from where it was secured in his truck — a concern echoed by District Attorney Alexis King in a statement after the sentencing.
“Ultimately, (Metz) was found to be negligent and reckless, and he has caused a lifetime of trauma for those who suffered from his poor decision-making,” King said.
Metz’s attorneys could not be reached for comment on the sentencing, but during the hearing, Jones emphasized that Metz has taken responsibility for his negligence and has felt remorse every day since the shooting.
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