A judge dismissed Erin Black’s request for a permanent protection order against Dillon Kaiser after the Loveland City Council member did not show up for court Friday.
Magistrate Jeffrey Schwartz initially called the case at 1:30 p.m. but waited until 1:41 p.m. before dismissing Black’s request for a protection order against Kaiser, giving her time to appear. He noted that Black had left a message with the court clerk on Thursday.
“She indicated in a voicemail that she intended to dismiss,” Schwartz said.
He did not say if Black offered a reason in the message to the court, and Black could not immediately be reached after the hearing.
The request for a protection order came after an altercation in Dwayne Webster Park on March 29 between Kaiser, Black and eight others. They had arranged to meet in the park to discuss what Black and others characterized as online harassment, but that quickly escalated.
A video of the incident taken by Kaiser and posted on social media shows Black and others in her group circling him and shouting obscenities. Kaiser yelled back, in the video, and other images posted show that he was wearing a full face mask with a knife attached to his pocket.
After the incident, Black and three others filed for temporary restraining orders against Kaiser, which were granted that same day, on April 17. Their motions for permanent orders were to be heard on Friday in Larimer County Court in Fort Collins.
Black did not show up, and two others, Lynn Reynolds-St. John and Jen Castaneda requested dismissal of their protection order cases.
Reynolds-St. John said she decided to dismiss based upon advice from her attorney to not jeopardize her right against self-incrimination in a pending criminal matter.
Castaneda made a statement that she didn’t think she could meet the burden of proof for the permanent protection order, saying that “it looks more like I have a case in civil litigation.” She said she went to the park with the intent of asking Kaiser why he had been harassing her and that she was not accepting of the way it went down.
Kaiser did not offer any statements in court. He, too, previously filed for protection orders against several of those who were in the park, including Black. He was initially granted a temporary protection order against Black, which was later extended until Aug. 4, but a magistrate on May 8 denied Kaiser’s request for a permanent order against Black.
That magistrate, Sergio Lemus, called the confrontation “juvenile.”
Shortly after the incident, members of City Council called on Black to resign, but she did not, and citizens launched a recall campaign, which is underway.
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident in the park. A spokesperson confirmed that investigation is ongoing.
Originally Published: May 23, 2025 at 4:26 PM MDT
