Breaking News: Arrests Made in Colorado High School Crash That Killed 2

By Dhivya Easwarasamy On Dec 16, 2023

Breaking News Arrests Made in Colorado High School Crash That Killed 2

A man was taken into custody by Broomfield Police on Tuesday in relation to an accident that claimed two lives close to a high school.

The arrest document lists Jose Menjivar, 32, as facing several charges, including two counts of reckless vehicular murder and a DUI.

Police were called to a crash on December 12 at Main Street and Miramonte Boulevard, which is behind Broomfield High School.

The crash happened just before 1:20 p.m. Police said that the two fatalities were from the same automobile and included an adult and a minor.

Police arrest suspect in crash that killed 2 near Colorado high school:

Police arrest suspect in crash that killed 2 near Colorado high school https://t.co/bBLEpwpHGW

— 9NEWS Denver (@9NEWS) December 16, 2023

The coroner’s office has not revealed the names of the victims. To help the family, a GoFundMe page was made, naming Melissa Powell, 47, and Riordan Powell, 16.

Menjivar, the driver of the second car in the collision, was reportedly seriously hurt and transferred to a hospital by the police. He was named in the affidavit. His automobile was empty of passengers.

In the affidavit, witness estimates state that Menjivar was operating a pickup truck in a 40 mph zone at a speed of between 80 and 100 mph.

According to the complaint, he struck the victims’ SUV in a “front to side manner” as he was overtaking many cars, causing it to crash into a tree off the east side of the road.

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The passenger passed away at a hospital after the driver was declared dead at the scene.

The affidavit states that Menjivar was also brought to a hospital for treatment of his wounds.

When the officers searched his car, they found an open beer case and at least two empty beer cans inside, as well as “an overwhelming odor of an unknown alcoholic beverage,” according to the affidavit.

According to the affidavit, Menjvar’s initial blood alcohol content was.249, which is more than three times the legal limit. These findings allowed detectives to get a warrant to take Menjvar’s blood.

According to the affidavit, officers visited the registered owner of the car Menjivar was driving, and they were able to verify that Menjivar had borrowed their car on the day of the collision. The document states that the owner was also able to recognize him in a picture.

According to the affidavit, authorities obtained permission from the DMV indicating that Menjivar’s driver status was terminated due to many prior traffic violations.

Authorities arrested Menjivar on suspicion of the following crimes:

Two counts of killing someone with a reckless vehicle
Two counts of killing someone with a car
Not so legally operating a car while drunk or high
Aggravated habitual offender drove while license was suspended