Colorado prosecutors reveal extent to which DUI driver tried to hide his drinking after killing Golden officer
The 44-year-old man who hit and killed a Golden police officer while driving under the influence will spend 13 years in prison. Stephen Geer pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide - DUI and vehicular assault - DUI.
In November 2024, prosecutors said Geer slammed his vehicle into a crash scene that Officer Evan Dunn and Officer Bethany Grusing were investigating. The two were pinned under one of those vehicles. Dunn died, Grusing was seriously hurt and two other people on scene were also badly injured.
Prosecutors revealed during sentencing that Geer's blood alcohol content was three times the legal limit, and that evidence collected during the investigation showed Geer had been driving drunk repeatedly in the days leading up to the crash. They also said he lied about how much he had been drinking and wiped his phone once he realized the severity of the situation.
During Wednesday's sentencing hearing, the judge heard hours of emotional testimony from those directly affected by the crash, including Dunn's family, colleagues and other victims.
Golden Police Chief Joe Harvey delivered a statement that he said he hoped he would never have to make. He described his grief -- and guilt -- over Dunn's death.
"Each of us has carried a different form of grief through this tragedy," Harvey said. "For me, it was feeling somehow that I was responsible. I had relentlessly recruited Evan to become a police officer."
Harvey said the loss has deeply affected the department, especially those who were on scene the night of Nov. 6, 2024.
"Imagine, if you will, for a moment what those moments felt like for those officers -- as I have over and over again for the past year," Harvey said. "Fear, horror, sheer panic when they could not lift that car. They crawled under it, lying on the cold, wet, slushy road. Their uniforms will forever be stained with the blood of their teammates."
Statements also came from two of the surviving victims and from the families of Dunn and Grusing.
"I lost a friend. I lost a confidant. I lost a brother. I lost my only brother," Tyler Dunn said.
"Due to the actions taken by Stephen Geer, I will never again in this life experience a mother's pride in Evan's ongoing achievements," said Dunn's mother Lucinda.
Tanner Peterson, speaking for Grusing's family, urged the court to recognize the full impact of the crash.
"The ripple effect of this tragedy extends far beyond what words can capture," Peterson said. "This is not just about accountability. It's about justice for a life that was taken."
Geer's family spoke about his long struggle with alcohol. His attorneys asked the judge to find balance in sentencing, arguing Geer took responsibility by pleading guilty to the most serious charges.
"His legal best interest did not match what he thought was right," his attorney said.
Geer apologized during his statement to the court.
"I recognize this tragedy permanently changed your lives," Geer said. "I do not expect forgiveness, and I understand my apology cannot repair what was taken from you. Still, it matters to me to reiterate as clearly and directly as possible that I am sorry for the suffering I caused."
Judge Russell Klein compared Geer's decision to drive drunk to "firing a gun into a crowd," calling the outcome "entirely foreseeable" as he handed down the 13 year sentence.