Current:Home > InvestFormer Colorado officer accused of parking patrol car hit by train on railroad tracks pleads guilty-DB Wealth Institute B2 Expert Reviews
Former Colorado officer accused of parking patrol car hit by train on railroad tracks pleads guilty
View Date:2024-12-23 19:07:23
DENVER (AP) — A former Colorado police officer pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of reckless endangerment for parking his patrol car on railroad tracks before a handcuffed woman was put inside and seriously injured when it was hit by a freight train.
Pablo Vazquez had been charged with five misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment in connection with the crash that injured Yareni Rios last year but reached a plea deal with prosecutors.
A judge sentenced Vazquez to 12 months of unsupervised probation. If he stays out of trouble during that time, the misdemeanor charge will be dismissed and the case will be sealed, KUSA-TV reported.
Another former officer who put the woman in the patrol car after a traffic stop, Jordan Steinke, was found guilty of reckless endangerment and assault for the crash near Platteville. A judge acquitted her of criminal attempt to commit manslaughter after a bench trial in July.
Steinke was sentenced to 30 months of supervised probation and 100 hours of community service after both prosecutors and defense attorneys asked for her not to be sent to jail.
Rios suffered a traumatic brain injury as well as numerous broken ribs, a broken leg and a broken back in the crash and is suing police.
Her attorney, Christopher Ponce, called Vazquez’s sentence “disappointing”, adding that Rios wished there was more of a permanent conviction.
veryGood! (8)
Related
- Ariana Grande Shares Dad's Emotional Reaction to Using His Last Name in Wicked Credits
- Russia jails an associate of imprisoned Kremlin foe Navalny as crackdown on dissent continues
- USA TODAY Network and Tennessean appoint inaugural Beyoncé reporter
- Arizona State athletics director Ray Anderson announces resignation
- Will Reeve, son of Christopher Reeve, gets engaged to girlfriend Amanda Dubin
- This trio hopes 'Won't Give Up' will become an anthem for the climate movement
- The Excerpt podcast: Thousands flee Gaza's largest hospital, others still trapped
- Arizona surges into top five, Kansas stays No. 1 in USA TODAY Sports men's basketball poll
- Police capture Tennessee murder suspect accused of faking his own death on scenic highway
- American struggles with guilt after evacuating Gaza: Guilty to eat, guilty to sleep
Ranking
- Repair Hair Damage In Just 90 Seconds With This Hack from WNBA Star Kamilla Cardoso
- Biden administration slow to act as millions are booted off Medicaid, advocates say
- Charles at 75: Britain’s king celebrates birthday with full schedule as he makes up for lost time
- Billie Eilish Gets Candid on Her Sexuality and Physical Attraction to Women
- Flurry of contract deals come as railroads, unions see Trump’s election looming over talks
- Fantasy football winners, losers: WR Noah Brown breaking out in Houston
- Why Jacob Elordi Is Throwing Shade at Ridiculous Kissing Booth Movies
- South Dakota hotel owner sued for race discrimination to apologize and step down
Recommendation
-
Disease could kill most of the ‘ohi‘a forests on Hawaii’s Big Island within 20 years
-
It wasn't always the biggest shopping holiday of the year. Why is it called Black Friday?
-
'We need to record everything': This team stayed behind in a Ukrainian war zone
-
Biden’s initial confidence on Israel gives way to the complexities and casualties of a brutal war
-
California researchers discover mysterious, gelatinous new sea slug
-
Man, 40, is fatally shot during exchange of gunfire with police in southwestern Michigan
-
Why thousands of UAW autoworkers are voting 'no' on Big 3's 'life-changing' contracts
-
Kim Zolciak and Kroy Biermann Reunite for Intimate 12th Anniversary Celebration Amid Divorce