DEPUTY CHARGED IN RACING CASE
A Denver Sheriff’s deputy driving a van full of prisoners will face charges for allegedly racing another driver.
A Denver Sheriff Department deputy driving a van full of prisoners will face criminal charges after authorities say he raced with a pickup truck on Interstate 25 on Thursday.
Deputy James Grimes will be cited for reckless driving, reckless endangerment and speeding, the Colorado State Patrol said in a statement Monday. The van was clocked at more than 90 mph at spots on I-25.
Grimes was transporting three prisoners around noon Thursday when a bystander alerted state police that a red truck and a silver van were possibly racing, weaving dangerously in and out of traffic on the interstate.
The state patrol used aircraft to track both vehicles and pilots guided troopers on the ground to them. The pilots could see the two vehicles speeding and driving aggressively around other vehicles, according to the statement.
The 1999 red Chevrolet pickup truck was stopped near Castle Rock. The driver of the pickup truck, 27-year-old Daniel Franklin, was arrested on suspicion that he was driving under the influence, according to police. He was also cited for speeding and failure to produce proof of insurance.
The van, occupied by two sheriff’s deputies and three prisoners, was stopped further north on the interstate, according to the statement. Troopers let the van continue on its way while they investigated, according to the statement.
Trooper Josh Lewis said Monday the van was allowed to continue for several reasons, including that the deputy did not show any signs of impairment.
“Obviously if we have signs of impairment on the other driver, that is why he was immediately placed into custody,” he said, adding that troopers wanted to gather information from the pilots as part of the investigation before bringing charges.
“The charges themselves are not felonies so it was not a matter of public safety in that regard,” he said. “And likewise, having a van with multiple prisoners on the side of the road is not the best idea.”
A spokeswoman for the sheriff’s department said in a statement Monday that Grimes, who was hired in 1999, was placed on administrative leave after the incident.
“Both deputies were immediately reassigned and the driver then placed on administrative leave,” the statement said. “Due to the ongoing criminal process and subsequent internal investigation, we are not able to provide additional information at this time.”
Thursday’s incident is not the first time Grimes’ actions have made the news. In 2010, he was one of five deputies involved in the high-profile death of an inmate at the jail. Grimes and four other deputies tackled inmate Marvin Booker, held him down, handcuffed him and shocked him with a Taser before putting him in a holding cell. Booker, a 56-year-old homeless street preacher, died in the cell.
Grimes grabbed Booker by the neck during that struggle, using a “carotid hold” in an attempt to subdue him. Booker died due to “cardiorespiratory arrest during physical restraint,” the coroner found at the time. The city conducted an internal investigation and concluded the deputies did not violate any policies.