Black Colorado rancher arrested after alleging racism, harassment, vandalism

An El Paso County farmer and his wife are embroiled in a legal battle that's starting to gain national attention.

A farming couple say they are the target of racial harassment online and in-person and Tuesday, with the help of the NAACP, one of them is being bailed out of jail.

Courtney and Nicole Mallery own a ranch encompassing a nearly 1,000 acres in eastern El Paso County.

He first made headlines a few weeks ago when his story was published on an online news outlet.

He and his wife claim, among other things, that they've been harassed and their property vandalized.

"We are stalked, we are harassed, we are chased, we are followed, there's been spray paint where they put 'n*****' on items on our home," Nicole Mallery said.

The El Paso County Sheriff's Office won't talk on camera but said in the past two years, they've responded to more than "170 calls for service that involve the individuals in the article" and that they'll release the legal documents and body camera video upon request.

CBS News Colorado has made that request, but we're still waiting to receive the documents.

Courtney Mallery was arrested Monday on a warrant for felony stalking and after spending the night in jail, his bond was set at $6,000.

Tuesday, the NAACP is planning to post bail for Mallery and he's expected to be released.

This is a complex case and we plan to continue to talk to Courtney and Nicole Mallery and try to see what we can learn from the police documents. We'll continue to update this story as it evolves.