DENVER — The driver in a fatal crash on U.S. 285 in August had a long history of run-ins with law enforcement over DUIs and drug and alcohol.
Benjamin Bobier, 36, of Colorado Springs was at the wheel of a Dodge Ram on Aug. 26, traveling south between Pine Junction and Conifer, when he tried to pass another car and crashed head-on into a Ford pickup.
Dee Snell died at the scene. Her 2-year-old granddaughter JoJo, died after being taken to a hospital. Dee Snell's son Adam and daughter Amber were critically injured.
Bobier’s criminal history is based on reports from the Colorado Springs Police Department, the Colorado State Patrol, Grand Junction Police Department, El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, Teller County Sheriff’s Office and Park County Sheriff’s Office, as well as court records from El Paso, Mesa, Teller, Park and Jefferson counties and records from the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.
Nov. 29, 2001 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier, who was 17, with underage possession or consumption of alcohol. He received a deferred sentence, and the case was dismissed after he completed a class on alcohol.
May 17, 2004 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier, who was 19, for underage possession or consumption of alcohol. The case was dismissed for unexplained reasons.
June 27, 2004 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier, who was 19, for underage possession or consumption of alcohol and possession of a fake driver’s license. The case was dismissed for unexplained reasons.
Aug. 12, 2004 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier for careless driving and failure to provide proof of insurance. He pleaded guilty to the careless driving charge.
Oct. 9, 2004 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier, who was 19, for driving while under the influence, DUI per se, and running a red light. He pleaded guilty to DUI – his first alcohol-related traffic conviction. A judge sentenced him to probation, public service and alcohol treatment.
Oct. 23, 2004 – Colorado State Patrol troopers cited Bobier, who was 19, with DUI, careless driving, prohibited use of weapons and underage possession or consumption of alcohol in Teller County. The case was transferred to El Paso County and dismissed for unexplained reasons.
Feb. 11, 2005 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier with three counts of assault on a peace officer, resisting arrest and arson. The Oct. 23, 2004, DUI case from Teller County was supposed to be added to the case, but available records contain no mention of it. Bobier pleaded guilty to an arson charge, and a judge approved a 60-day out-of-state trip so Bobier could undergo in-patient therapy.
June 27, 2006 – Grand Junction Police arrested Bobier for theft, motor vehicle theft and criminal mischief after he stole a golf cart from a college campus. Bobier pleaded guilty to misdemeanor motor vehicle theft and criminal mischief. He was sentenced to 20 days in jail and ordered to undergo alcohol evaluation and treatment.
Aug. 31, 2006 – Grand Junction Police cited Bobier for providing alcohol to a minor. He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to probation with alcohol supervision.
March 29, 2007 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier for DUI, DUI per se and careless driving. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of driving while ability impaired. He was sentenced to two years of probation and ordered to undergo alcohol treatment.
Aug. 28, 2009 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier for careless driving, driving with a revoked license, leaving the scene of an accident, and failing to report an accident. He pleaded guilty to failing to report an accident.
Jan. 19, 2010 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier with harassment and theft. No records in the case exist to show how it was adjudicated.
March 4, 2012 – El Paso County Sheriff’s deputies cited Bobier for DUI and defrauding an innkeeper after he was encountered in a restaurant parking lot and appeared to be intoxicated. He pleaded guilty to defrauding an innkeeper for failing to pay for his meal. The DUI charge was dismissed for unexplained reasons.
March 27, 2013 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier for discharge of a weapon. No records in the case exist to show how it was adjudicated.
June 8, 2013 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier for possession of ketamine, DUI, DUI per se, no insurance and careless driving. He pleaded guilty to DUI. This was his third alcohol-related traffic conviction. He was sentenced to 36 months of supervised probation and ordered to undergo alcohol treatment.
May 4, 2016 – Colorado State Patrol troopers cited Bobier for careless driving and driving too fast for conditions after a crash in Adams County. He pleaded guilty to driving too fast for conditions.
Sept. 8, 2016 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier for urinating in public. The charge was dismissed.
Aug. 6, 2021 – Sheriff’s deputies from Teller and Park counties cited Bobier for vehicular eluding, reckless driving, speeding 40 miles an hour over the speed limit, running a red light, passing where it’s prohibited and failing to report an accident after a 50-mile on-again, off-again pursuit that began in Woodland Park and ended northwest of Hartsel.
Aug. 22, 2021 – Colorado Springs Police cited Bobier for operating an unregistered and unlicensed vehicle after he was observed riding a dirt bike on U.S. 24.
Aug. 23, 2021 – Bobier failed to appear for a court hearing in Park County to answer charges in the Aug. 6, 2021, incident.
Aug. 26, 2021 – Bobier, at the wheel of a red Dodge pickup, lost control at a high speed on U.S. 285 southwest of Conifer, smashing head-on into an oncoming pickup. Dee Snell, the driver of the other truck, died at the scene; her 2-year-old granddaughter, JoJo, died at a hospital, and her son Adam and daughter Amber were critically injured.
Aug. 27, 2021 – Bobier died of injuries suffered in the crash the day before.
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