BYERS, Colo. — An Adams County deputy was formally charged with DUI and careless driving after he crashed into a Byers cemetery last month, online court records show.
According to a report from the Colorado State Patrol (CSP) Brett Gurley, who was off duty, was speeding on East Bate Avenue in Byers as he approached the intersection of South Tenney Street on July 11 around 7:10 p.m. When he attempted to turn right, the report says he crossed through the intersection and left the roadway. As a result, he collided with a wire fence surrounding the cemetery and eventually got stuck in the dirt.
Gurley, according to the report, got out of his vehicle and got it unstuck, and then continued through the cemetery, the CSP report says. A spokesman for CSP said one gravestone was damaged in the crash. The report says Gurley's vehicle was moved after the crash and came to a "final rest" along a curb on East 5th Street.
According to CSP, Gurley was taken to detox after the crash and issued a summons.
A spokesman for the Adams County Sheriff's Office said the deputy involved has been placed on restricted duty, and any changes to his employment status will be determined after the criminal and internal investigations.
The Sheriff's Office will conduct an internal investigation after the criminal investigation is complete to determine whether internal policy violations occurred during the incident.
In a statement, the Sheriff's Office said they "take all incidents involving our employees seriously and will fully cooperate with CSP as they conduct their investigation."
Hurley is due in Arapahoe County District Court on Aug. 29.
A different Adams County deputy is under investigation related to an incident at a Thornton Walmart that happened on July 18. The Thornton Police Department said officers responded to the Walmart at East 128th Avenue and Quebec Street just before 2 p.m. Tuesday on a report of a disturbance involving several people, one of whom was later identified as Ezekiel Spotts.
Spotts is a 17-year veteran who works at the jail, the Sheriff's Office said. Official charges against Spotts are pending.
Thornton Police officers spoke with the people involved as well as witnesses, according to a spokesperson, and investigators began looking for video of the incident.
Linda Hurley said she and her daughter, Erika Smith, were both injured by the deputy after a verbal altercation turned physical.
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