Fugitive Sentenced for 2003 Vehicular Assault of a Police Officer

Adams/Broomfield County District Attorney Don Quick announced yesterday that Charles Nelson Douglas (dob: 10/31/1965), who fled to Mexico after his 2005 conviction, was sentenced for crashing his vehicle into a patrol car and seriously injuring a police officer.

In July 2003, Douglas was driving eastbound on Colorado 76 through a construction zone. The highway was closed at 88th Ave. and traffic was being directed off the interstate by a marked and lighted Commerce City patrol vehicle and orange traffic cones. Douglas traveled through the cones at 84MPH and struck the patrol vehicle causing severe damage. Officer Juan Lopez was in the patrol vehicle and suffered serious bodily injury in the crash. Through chemical testing of Douglas’ blood, it was determined that he was under the influence of alcohol.

In July 2005, an Adams County jury found Douglas guilty of Vehicular Assault Resulting from Driving Under the Influence (F4) and Reckless Vehicular Assault (F5). He failed to appear at his September, 2005 sentencing. A warrant was issued for his arrest and Douglas was apprehended in May, 2010 in Mexico by authorities while attempting to cross the border into the United States.

“A police officer being run over in the performance of his duties deserves the maximum penalty. We are very pleased with the judge’s sentence,” DA Quick states. “I wish to thank the Mexican Officials and the US Marshal for their coordination and cooperation in apprehending this felon.”

Adams County District Court Judge Patrick Murphy Douglas was sentenced to the Colorado Department of Corrections for 12 years for vehicular assault, DUI and three years for reckless vehicular assault, to be served concurrently.