Charge Filed After Death Of Former Ute Mountain Ute Chair

CORTEZ, Colo. (AP/CBS4) - Colorado State Police say a former Ute Mountain Ute tribal chairman has died from injuries from a motorcycle accident in McElmo Canyon.

The Cortez Journal reports that Ernest House Sr. was killed Saturday when his 2009 Harley Davidson slammed into a 1989 Volkswagen Jetta after the car's driver tried to pass a slower vehicle.

Sgt. Matt Ozanic of the Colorado State Patrol said rainy weather may have contributed.

The Jetta's driver, 20-year-old Natoniba Dance, of Cortez, was charged with careless driving causing death.

"Ernest House Sr. expanded our thinking, challenged the status quo and envisioned a better life for thousands of Native Americans," Gov. John Hickenlooper said on Monday in a prepared statement. "He was a champion to his people and a dedicated public servant. We join the Ute Mountain Ute tribe in mourning his untimely death."

House was raised in Mancos Canyon and elected to the Ute Mountain Ute Tribal Council in 1979.

He was elected chairman in 1982 and served off and on for several terms until 2010. House has also worked for the U.S. Bureau of Indian Affairs.

"This state and nation has lost a true leader who worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Native Americans everywhere," said Lt. Gov. Joe Garcia in a prepared statement.

Garcia is also the chair of the Colorado Commission of Indian Affairs.

"Ernest House Sr. served his people with distinction and conviction. He will forever be respected for his love and devotion to his Tribe, he wrote.

The funeral for House Sr. will take place on Saturday in Towaoc.

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