ADAMS COUNTY, Colo — A former Denver Sheriff Department deputy pleaded guilty on Tuesday to a hit-and-run crash on New Year's Day.
Jeremiah Espinoza-Young, 30, initially told investigators he fell asleep while driving and then "panicked," according to an affidavit for his arrest from the Aurora Police Department.
He pleaded guilty to:
- Attempting to influence a public servant
- Careless driving
The early morning crash happened shortly before 3 a.m. Jan. 1 in the 1900 block of Tower Road in Aurora.
A witness reported the crash around 7 a.m. He said he saw a white 2023 Subaru Legacy smash into a concrete barrier and a pole at a King Soopers warehouse. He provided police with the vehicle's license plate number and said it had "major front end damage," the affidavit said.
The witness also reported that he saw a man talking on his phone and provided a description of him. Investigators ran the license plate, and it came back to Espinoza-Young.
After finding an address linked to Espinoza-Young, they spoke with his brother, who explained he no longer lived there. His brother also told investigators that he had missed a call from Espinoza-Young at 2:46 a.m. Investigators spoke with Espinoza-Young's mother, who said she had also missed a call from him at 2:30 a.m.
Initially, Espinoza-Young told investigators that his vehicle had been stolen in Denver and he had filed a report with their agency. He called Aurora dispatch just before 11 a.m. He later told investigators that he had woken up around 10 a.m. for work and realized his car was stolen.
Investigators asked why he had called his family around the same time that his car was reportedly stolen and crashed. He said that he called to wish them Happy New Year and again stated he had not crashed the car, the affidavit said.
Two days later, on Jan. 3, an officer called Espinoza-Young and confronted him about "inconsistencies" related to the investigation. At that time, he told officers he was driving home and fell asleep and crashed into the barrier. He told the officer he "panicked" and drove off but didn't know why because "he didn't have any alcohol in his system," the affidavit said.
On Tuesday, Espinoza-Young was given a deferred sentence.
According to the Peace Officer Standards and Training database, Espinoza-Young is not currently employed by any agency in Colorado.
The Denver Sheriff Department previously said Espinoza-Young became a deputy sheriff in 2016 and was assigned to the Denver County jail. The department placed him on investigatory leave on Jan. 3. On Wednesday, a department spokesperson said he resigned on March 20.
