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Adams County commander sentenced to probation for fatal crash

The commander was on duty and in an unmarked patrol vehicle when he ran a stop sign and collided with another vehicle, the DA said.

ADAMS COUNTY, Colo. — An Adams County commander who ran a stop sign and crashed into another car, killing a passenger, was sentenced to two years' probation, Dave Young, District Attorney for the 17th Judicial District said Friday.

John Paul Bitterman, 44, was on duty and driving in an unmarked patrol vehicle on March 29, 2019. Young said he ran the stop sign at East 88th Avenue and Colorado Highway 79 located about seven miles north of Bennett.

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Bitterman's vehicle collided with a Nissan Murano, and the crash resulted in the death of 85-year-old Eira Saenz Sandoval, the DA said.

The Nissan's driver and Sandoval's daughter, 58-year-old Maria Del Refugio Corral Saenz, was injured, suffering a fractured tibia and sternum. 

The DA said evidence indicated Bitterman was logging into his computer system while driving moments before the crash, and that he slowed briefly at the stop sign before pushing the pedal to the floor at the time the two vehicles collided.

“You thought you could make it through,” the judge said during Bitterman's sentencing. “We all make mistakes. You are a commander in the Adams County Sheriff’s Office. I would hope that police officers, of all people, would show more care in what you do. I see police cars zipping around me with no lights on all the time. They think because they are in a police car, I can do whatever I want. That is not true.”

The investigation also found that neither vehicle had slowed prior to impact, and that sun glare may have been a factor for Saenz, the DA said.

In January, Bitterman was convicted of careless driving resulting in death. On top of his probation, Bitterman was ordered to perform 250 hours of community service and to pay restitution and the cost of prosecution.

RELATED: Adams County commander convicted in fatal crash

At the time, the Adams County Sheriff's Office said he was still employed by the department.

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