A former Colorado police officer who put a handcuffed woman into a police car parked on train tracks that was later hit by a freight train has escaped jail time after offering a tearful mea culpa.
Jordan Steinke, 29, was sentenced Friday to 30 months of supervised probation after being found guilty of reckless endangerment and assault for the Sept. 16, 2022, crash outside Platteville that left her detained, Yareni Ríos-González, with serious injuries.
During his trial in July, Weld County District Court Judge Timothy Kerns acquitted Steinke of criminal attempt to commit involuntary manslaughter.
Kerns said he had planned to sentence the former Fort Lupton police officer to prison, but changed his mind after both prosecutors and defense attorneys requested probation, the Denver Post reported.
“Someone will hear this and say, ‘Another officer is getting out,’” Kerns said. “Those are not the facts of this case.”
The judge warned Steinke that if he violates the terms of his probation, “I will remember my original instinctive response on how to approach the sentence.”
Jordan Steinke, 29, a former Colorado police officer, was sentenced to 30 months of supervised probation after being convicted of reckless endangerment and assault. Fort Lupton Police Department
The video released by authorities shows the moment a Union Pacific train collided with a police van with road violence suspect Yareni Ríos González handcuffed inside. Fort Lupton Police
Steinke, who cried during her sentencing, apologized to Ríos-González, who attended the hearing remotely, saying that as a police officer, she “never intended for another human being to come to harm under my supervision.”
“What happened that night has haunted me for 364 days,” Steinke added, addressing the victim. “I remember your cries and your screams.”
As part of his punishment, Steinke must perform 100 hours of community service.
He said he hoped to fulfill part of his community service by giving educational talks to new police officers about the dangers of train tracks and the importance of officers being aware of their surroundings.
The detained woman suffered a brain injury and several broken bones, but survived the accident. Fort Lupton Police
The incident began to unfold when then-Plateville Police Sgt. Pablo Vázquez stopped Ríos González for questioning about an alleged incident of road violence, during which the woman allegedly pointed a gun at another motorist after following them in her truck.
Steinke, who also responded to the scene in Plateville, detained Ríos González, handcuffed her and locked her in Vázquez’s police van, which was parked on the train tracks.
As seen in body camera and dashboard footage released by police last year, within a few seconds, a Union Pacific freight train approached the police vehicle with its horn blaring, but officers They seem oblivious to the warning sounds.
Moments later, dash cam video showed the train crashing into the police van with the restrained suspect still inside and being dragged along the tracks.
Officers arrested Ríos González in Plateville, Colorado, on the night of September 16, 2022, for allegedly pointing a gun at another driver. Fort Lupton Police
Ríos González, who suffered a lasting brain injury, nine broken ribs and a broken arm, was not convinced how she wanted Steinke to be punished, her attorney Chris Ponce said.
“The conflict that she feels is one in which every day she has to feel this pain,” Ponce said. “And she’s had to deal with (medical) appointments and her life changing so radically. And feeling upset, very upset about it, angry about it, but on the other hand, feeling something for Ms. Steinke and, I think, feeling real empathy for how she lost her career.”
Steinke was fired from the Fort Lupton Police Department after her conviction. She is expected to lose her Peace Officer Training and Standards certification, her attorney Mallory Revel said, meaning she will never be able to work in law enforcement again.
During Steinke’s trial, her defense team argued that she did not know that Vazquez had parked her police vehicle on the tracks because it was dark and she was miles from her jurisdiction of Fort Lupton.
The woman was placed in the back of the police vehicle that was parked on the train tracks. AP
Vázquez still faces trial for his role in the accident. He has been charged with five counts of reckless endangerment for allegedly endangering Ríos-González, Steinke and three other people, as well as traffic-related violations.
Ríos González has filed a lawsuit against the law enforcement agencies involved in the disastrous traffic stop.
The woman, now 21, had faced criminal charges related to the road rage incident. She entered a no contest plea earlier this month to misdemeanor menacing and received a deferred sentence.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn