A former Colorado police officer who put a handcuffed woman in a parked police vehicle that was hit by a freight train, causing the woman to suffer a serious brain injury, has avoided a jail sentence and must instead serve 30 months on supervised probation.
Jordan Steinke, 29, was sentenced Friday by Weld County District Court Judge Timothy Kerns, who found her guilty of reckless endangerment and assault for the Sept. 16, 2022, crash near Platteville. Kerns acquitted the former Fort Lupton police officer of criminal attempt to commit manslaughter after her bench trial in July.
Steinke, who wept during the sentencing hearing, apologized to the victim Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, 20, who attended the hearing virtually. In addition to her brain injury, Rios-Gonzalez also suffered broken ribs, wrists, a punctured lung and a traumatic brain injury.
Kerns said he had planned to sentence Steinke to jail, but he changed his mind after both prosecutors and defense attorneys sought a probationary sentence, The Denver Post reported.
‘Someone is going to hear this and say: `Another officer gets off,´ ‘ Kerns said. ‘That’s not the facts of this case.’
A female suspect, believed to have been involved in a road rage incident, was pulled over by police in Colorado
Officers stopped their car on railroad tracks and ordered the female suspect to walk back
Officers handcuffed 20-year-old Yareni Rios-Gonzalez and placed her in the back of the car
He ordered Steinke to perform 100 hours of community service. And if she violates the terms of her probation, ‘I will harken back to my original gut response as to how to address sentencing,’ Kerns warned.
‘What happened that night has haunted me for 364 days,’ Steinke said. ‘I remember your cries and your screams. I remember begging you to tell me your name. I never felt so helpless we couldn’t get you out of the car.’
Steinke said she hoped to fulfill some of her community service by giving educational talks to new police officers about the dangers of railroad tracks and the importance of officers being aware of their surroundings.
The former-officer’s attorney said that Steinke has been undergoing therapy in the wake of the incident.
‘The horror of what I saw and what you went through never leaves me,’ Steinke told Rios-Gonzalez.
‘Please do not use this experience to hate other police officers. You can blame me and you should. I want to make it really clear to this court, Ms. Rios, her family and anyone else watching — I will make some good out of this, I will educate current and future police officers and anyone who will listen,’ she added.
Then-Plateville Police Sgt. Pablo Vazquez had stopped Rios-Gonzalez after a reported road-rage incident involving a gun. Steinke took her into custody and locked her in Vazquez’s police vehicle, which was parked on the railroad tracks. A train crashed into the SUV.
Officer Jordan Stienke will be forced to complete 100 hours of community service as a result of the incident
Sgt. Pablo Vazquez had stopped Rios-Gonzalez in relation to a road rage incident
20-year-old Yareni Rios-Gonzalez is lucky to be alive after being hit by a train while sitting in the back of a police patrol car
Rios-Gonzalez, who suffered a lasting brain injury and is in pain, was conflicted about how she wanted Steinke to be punished, attorney Chris Ponce said.
‘The conflict that she feels is one where every day she has to feel this pain,’ Ponce said. ‘And she’s had to deal with (doctor) appointments and having her life so radically changed. And feeling upset, very upset about that – angry about that – but on the other hand, feeling for Ms. Steinke, and, I think, truly empathetically feeling sorry for how she lost her career.’
Steinke was fired from the Fort Lupton police department after her conviction. She is expected to lose her Peace Officer Standards and Training certification, her attorney Mallory Revel said, meaning she can never be a police officer again.
During Steinke’s trial, her defense attorneys said she did not know that Vazquez had parked his police vehicle on the tracks.
Vazquez still faces trial for his role in the crash. He has been charged with five counts of reckless endangerment for allegedly putting Rios-Gonzalez, Steinke and three other people at risk, as well as for traffic-related violations, including parking where prohibited.
Rios-Gonzalez has also filed a lawsuit against the police agencies involved.
