By Sharon Dunn
Greeley Tribune
The man accused of slamming his car into a Colorado State Patrol deputy and killing a trooper cadet on Saturday told police his accelerator was stuck and his emergency break locked up.
Christopher Gebers, 27, of Federal Heights was arrested immediately after slamming his 2002 Honda Civic into Trooper Clinton Rushing, and cadet, Taylor Thyfault around 7:30 a.m. Saturday.
Authorities say a state patrol trooper had attempted to stop his vehicle at Colo. 66 and Interstate 25 just outside of Longmont, when the driver sped off. An affidavit released Sunday by investigating agency Longmont Police stated the trooper stopped Gebers’ vehicle because it was displaying blue headlights, which are illegal in Colorado.
Gebers did not stop for the officer, and fled west on Colo. 66. The affidavit states he was driving on a revoked license, and court records show that Gebers was still on intensive supervised probation for a drug distribution charge out of Adams County in 2013, for which he was re-sentenced in January.
Rushing and Thyfault, who had stopped to help out at an earlier three-car accident scene at around Weld County Road 1 and Colo. 66, were attempting to put stop sticks in the road to slow the oncoming driver, who was driving upward of 90 to 100 miles per hour, according to the affidavit.
Authorities said Gebers attempted to drive around the stop sticks, and struck Rushing in the road.
Gebers then lost control of the vehicle and struck Thyfault, coming to a stop off the side of the road. Thyfault is a 2012 graduate of Windsor High School and had been in the Colorado State Patrol training program for the last three months.
The affidavit stated that witnesses heard Gebers say repeatedly that the crash was not his fault because his emergency brake locked up and his accelerator stuck. The affidavit stated that Gebers asked about the trooper’s condition while he was in custody. He also said something to the effect that “all the money was” either his girlfriends’ or his wife’s. Police searched Gebers’ home late Saturday night with the help of Federal Heights authorities.
Gebers is facing several felonies, including first-degree murder and attempted murder, among a host of traffic violations.
He is expected to have a first court appearance at Boulder County Jail at 2 p.m. Tuesday.
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