An Ault (CO) police officer has been arrested in connection with a fatal two-vehicle crash Wednesday in Weld County that authorities suspect was prompted by road rage.
The Denver Post reports that Officer Blair Jackson, 48, is accused of second-degree murder and reckless driving resulting in death, according to the sheriff’s office. He is being held at the Weld County jail.
Jackson had just ended a shift when the crash happened near the intersection of U.S. 85 and Weld County Road 32½ — between Gilcrest and Platteville — about 6 p.m. Wednesday.
Authorities say two vehicles were involved — a black Ford Ranger and a green Subaru driven by Jackson.
“During the incident, the Ford Ranger rolled, and the driver was later declared deceased at the scene,” the sheriff’s office said.
The county coroner said Esteban Moreno Jr., 39, of Evans died after losing control of his pickup after a collision with another vehicle.
Jackson is the only suspect in the crash.
The sheriff’s office said its preliminary investigation found the crash was the result of road rage.
Rich Strang, Ault’s chief of police, said Jackson has been working as one of his officers for about six months. Prior to that Jackson worked for the Regional Transportation District. Strang said Jackson clocked out from a shift at 5 p.m. Wednesday before the crash.
Jackson previously had been cited twice on suspicion of careless driving. Most recently, he was issued a summons in Centennial for careless driving causing injury on Jan. 26. The citation was dropped March 28, and Jackson pleaded guilty to a charge of having an unsafe or defective vehicle.
Jackson also was cited for careless driving in September 1998 in Larimer County. That charge was dismissed in June 1999.