DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo. — After police say he hit and killed a Parker bicyclist on July 4, 2019, a Nebraska man has pleaded guilty to three charges associated with the hit-and-run crash.
Preston James Dorris, 36, pleaded guilty to charges in the 2019 crash that killed Edward Charles "Chuck" Vogel.
Vogel was riding his bike southbound on Pine Drive in unincorporated Douglas County when he was hit from behind by a Kia Spectra police say was driven by Dorris. The crash happened at 6:25 a.m. and Vogel died the next day.
Detectives found the Kia abandoned in Parker the next day and traced the car through the registered owner to Dorris. He was arrested outside Alliance, Nebraska on July 12.
On Feb. 25, 2019, Dorris pleaded guilty to:
- Leaving the scene of an accident involving death, a Class 3 felony
- Vehicular homicide – reckless driving, a Class 4 felony
- Careless Driving- -- vulnerable road user, a traffic misdemeanor
“This case literally hit close to home. My kids and I ride bikes in that area and on that road,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “A homicidal act that was borne of pure selfishness and self-preservation ended with a first act of responsibility by the killer. Nothing he does in court, no sentence the judge can give, can bring back what has been taken so easily from the victim and community in this case. These are the most preventable homicides in our state and yet they keep coming.”
Dorris's sentencing is set for April 17 at 9 a.m. before Douglas County District Court Judge Theresa Slade. The presumptive sentencing range is 4-18 years in the Department of Corrections.
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