Jordan Steinke, 29, was sentenced Friday by Weld County District Court Judge Timothy Kerns, who found him guilty of reckless endangerment and battery for the Sept. 16, 2022, crash near Platteville.
However, Kerns acquitted the former Fort Lupton police officer of the criminal charge of attempted involuntary manslaughter after a non-jury trial held in July.
Kerns said he had planned to sentence Steinke to jail time but changed his mind after both prosecutors and defense attorneys requested a probation sentence, The Denver Post reported.
"Somebody is going to hear this and say, 'Another officer who was saved,'" Kerns said. "But that's not what happened in this case."
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The judge ordered Steinke to perform 100 hours of community service. And if he violates the terms of his probation, "I'll go back to my original answer about how to approach sentencing," Kerns warned.
Steinke, who cried during the sentencing hearing, apologized to Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, who attended the trial virtually.
"What happened that night has haunted me for 364 days," Steinke said. "I remember her cries and her screams."
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Steinke said he hoped to fulfill part of his community service by giving educational talks to new police officers about the dangers of train tracks and the importance of officers being aware of their surroundings.
Pablo Vazquez, then a police sergeant in Plateville, arrested Rios Gonzalez following a report of roadside violence involving a handgun. Steinke stopped her and locked her in Vazquez's police vehicle, which was parked on the tracks of a train that crashed into the patrol car.
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Rios-Gonzalez, who suffered a serious brain injury and is still in pain, had a conflict over how he wanted Steinke punished, attorney Chris Ponce said.
"The conflict she feels is that every day she suffers that pain," Ponce said. "And he's had to deal with (medical) appointments and has undergone radical changes in his life. And she feels disgusted, very disgusted by it, but on the other hand, I think she really feels empathy because Steinke lost his career."
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Steinke was fired from the Fort Lupton Police Department following his conviction. He is expected to lose his Peace Officer Standards and Training certification, his attorney Mallory Revel said, meaning he will never be able to be a police officer again.
During Steinke's trial, his defense attorneys said he did not know Vazquez had parked his police vehicle on the tracks.
Vazquez is still facing trial for his role in the crash. He is charged with five counts of reckless endangerment for allegedly endangering Rios-Gonzalez, Steinke and three others, as well as traffic violations, including parking where prohibited.
Rios-Gonzalez has also filed a lawsuit against the law enforcement agencies involved.