A man with an extensive criminal record had another run-in with the law. He’d created a lot of problems before. But, this time two nineteen-year-old sweethearts from Mesa State College are dead as a result of his outrage.
Police attempted to stop Patrick Strawmatt of Wheat Ridge on March 22 about 10:00 PM for suspected drunk driving. Eluding officers at speeds reaching 120 mph, he struck a small car, killing the occupants [link], Jennifer Kois and her boyfriend Jake Brock.
Strawmatt is being held on charges of vehicular homicide and DUI, and Mesa County DA Paul Hautzinger is considering adding first degree murder to the list.
Barely a month ago, Park County officers arrested Strawmatt. Charges included DUI, vehicular eluding, and assaulting an officer (he punched the sheriff in the face and rammed into his vehicle). It took three officers to restrain the enraged Strawmatt. At his hearing, the Park County DA offered not only the egregious evidence of the case, but cited Strawmatt’s extensive criminal record including domestic violence and harassment charges and pled with Magistrate Larry Allen to detain Strawmatt. The judge wasn’t impressed [link].
Strawmatt’s bail was set low at $15,000, and he was released the day following his arrest in Park County. This time, in Mesa County bail is $1 million, but two college freshmen have had their lives taken senselessly from them.
A Line of Sight previously documented [link] how in Boulder County government failed to intervene after serious signs of trouble with a pair of teenagers, Brian Grove and Tess Damm, and the desperate need for intervention for the girl’s alcoholic mother, Linda Damm. Somewhere between Law Enforcement and Social Services there was a breakdown resulting in no intervention. Now, Linda Damm is dead and Grove is in jail accused of her murder. His girlfriend, Tess, is accused as an accomplice.
No one is perfect, and government can’t be expected to be perfect either. But, government ought to be good enough to recognize the obvious, apply a little common-sense, and protect the innocent from getting killed by someone who shouldn’t even be on the street.