WELD COUNTY, Colo. — A LaSalle police officer who shot and killed an off-duty Adams County deputy following a high-speed chase in January has been cleared of criminal charges, according to the Weld County District Attorney's Office.
A grand jury found the officer, identified as Caroline Persichetti, was justified in her actions because they found she was acting in self-defense, according to a report issued on Monday.
Adams County Deputy Jesse Jenson, 41, passed away two days after he was shot by Persichetti. He was unarmed at the time of the shooting, the report says.
An autopsy report showed Jenson had alcohol in his system when the incident unfolded.
On Jan. 16, multiple police agencies in the area became involved in a high-speed chase with a silver Jeep Patriot on Highway 85 in Weld County, the report says.
Jenson, who was off-duty at the time, is believed to have joined the chase near Fort Lupton, according to the report. He was driving a green Toyota 4Runner.
Both Fort Lupton and Platteville police stopped chasing the suspect driving the Jeep sometime before it entered the town of LaSalle.
Persichetti was positioned on the south side of LaSalle, the report says, waiting for the Jeep. She said in the report that she heard that there was a Toyota chasing the suspect vehicle.
Persichetti told the grand jury that she saw both the Toyota and the Jeep enter the town of LaSalle, driving at least 90 miles per hour. She said she attempted to stop the vehicles.
She said during her testimony that she saw the Toyota "swerving at the Jeep, forcing it onto the shoulder."
According to the report, "the actions made Officer Persichetti believe the occupants of the Jeep Patriot were victims of the aggressive driving."
The suspects in the Jeep took off and the Toyota that Jenson was driving came to a stop near the intersection of US 85 and 42nd Street, the report says.
Jenson got out of the SUV and walked toward Persichetti in what she described in her testimony as an "aggressive manner." The report also says Jenson ignored multiple commands to stop and get on the ground.
Persichetti told the grand jury that Jenson's left hand was not visible because of the way he was walking and she believed he was armed.
Persichetti shot Jenson, hitting him in the head. He died in the hospital two days later.
In addition to Persichetti's testimony, the report says the grand jury reviewed surveillance video and body camera footage from another LaSalle police officer who was on the scene.
After the investigation, the grand jury determined Persichetti was justified in her actions and declined to file an indictment, the report says.
Jenson was a graduating member of Arapahoe High School’s 1997 class. Before graduating, he was a patrolman/lieutenant for Arapahoe Rescue Patrol from 1993 to 1997.
Just days after graduating, Jenson signed up with the U.S. Marine Corps. He rose to the level of sergeant over the four years he served before being honorably discharged in 2001, racking up a litany of commendations along the way.
After attending the Colorado Sheriff’s Training Institute from 2001 to 2002, he served in several Colorado law enforcement agencies, including the Elbert County Sheriff’s Office, the Denver Police Department, the Lafayette Police Department and finally the Adams County Sheriff’s Office beginning in 2016 as a member of the jail unit.
Before his tenure with the Adams County Sheriff’s Office, Jenson joined the Army National Guard in 2002 and served until 2005. From July 2008 until March 2010 he was an International Police Adviser at DynCorp International in Baghdad, Iraq, training the Iraq Police Forces. He reenlisted in the Army National Guard in 2012 where he was active until 2016. From May 2013 until June 2016, he even served as a Colorado P.O.S.T. Deputy County Coroner/Certified Medicolegal Death Investigator with the Adams County Government.
He was laid to rest on Jan. 30.
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