ARREST FOLLOWS PURSUIT THROUGH BERTHOUD PASS ROAD CLOSURE
On Thursday, March 14, at 12:06 p.m., a Grand County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant was positioned on Highway 40 at the Mary Jane Road in Winter Park, staffing a highway closure point for the extended winter operations Berthoud Pass closure. In addition to the Sheriff’s Office vehicle blocking the highway, the variable messaging sign board at that location also indicated a road closure. The Highway 40 / Berthoud Pass road closure had been posted on cotrip.org as well as numerous social media outlets.
A silver Jeep Cherokee failed to stop at the closure point and continued past the Sergeant heading east bound on Highway 40. The Sergeant attempted a traffic stop on this vehicle, however, the vehicle failed to stop and a pursuit initiated further east bound on Highway 40. At the top of Berthoud Pass, the Grand County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant terminated the pursuit and notified our partner law enforcement agencies in Clear Creek County of the vehicle’s last known location and direction of travel.
Shortly after this, Grand County was advised that the suspect’s vehicle had been involved in a motor vehicle accident on Highway 40 at approximately Mile Post 247 (five miles east of the Berthoud Pass Summit). The Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office, Empire Police Department, and Colorado State Patrol responded to this accident. The Empire Police Department arrived on scene first, and was able to take a 33-year old male into custody as he fled the accident on foot. There were no injuries as a result of the accident.
Preliminary investigation at the scene indicated that the suspect’s vehicle had collided with a CDOT plow who had attempted to protect and shield other vehicles from the suspect’s vehicle.
The subject was later identified as Randy Calvin. Calvin was subsequently booked into the Grand County Sheriff’s Office Jail on traffic charges related to this incident and an outstanding felony arrest warrant that had been issued by the Colorado Department of Corrections Fugitive Extraditions Unit for a parole violation.
The successful resolution of this incident would not have been possible without the partnership of our law enforcement agencies across Grand and Clear Creek Counties, the Colorado Department of Transportation, and Colorado State Patrol.
Sheriff Brett Schroetlin emphasized, “All too common in today’s society, the rule of law is questioned, which ultimately puts our communities at risk from those who choose to put their own agendas at the forefront over the safety of other citizens. This behavior is unacceptable and will not be tolerated in Grand County, where will continue to enforce the law and arrest those that violate it.”
These charges are only accusations based on probable cause, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
