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.
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.
Her attorney, Christopher Ponce, called Vazquez's sentence “disappointing”, adding that Rios wished there was more of a permanent conviction.
Persons:
—, Pablo Vazquez, Yareni Rios, Vazquez, Jordan Steinke, Steinke, Rios, Christopher Ponce
Organizations:
DENVER
Locations:
Colorado, Platteville