Mancos resident Casey Dee Larsen, who led local law enforcement agencies on a 50-mile, high-speed chase that injured officers, faces 32 criminal charges, including multiple attempted first- and second-degree murder charges.
Larsen, 59, appeared in Montezuma County District Court Thursday on an advisement hearing in front of District Court Judge Doug Walker. He is being held in the Montezuma Detention Center on a $1 million bond.
Charges filed by 22nd District Attorney Will Furse are six counts of attempted first-degree murder, six counts of attempted second-degree murder, six counts of menacing, two counts of vehicular assault, six counts of vehicular eluding and six counts of obstructing a peace officer.
Larsen was charged with attempted first-degree murder, and attempted second-degree murder, for each of the six law enforcement officers he allegedly threatened with his vehicle.
Larsen’s public defender, John Moran, asked District Judge Doug Walker for time to review the charges and advise his client. The case was continued until April 4 at 9 a.m. for advisement of charges and to schedule a preliminary hearing. Potential sentences also will be presented during advisement.
The charges stem from a wild March 10 chase that began in Dolores County on the West Fork Road and continued through Dolores and Mancos as he approached the eastern edge of Cortez.
Dolores County sheriff deputies attempted to stop Larsen in connection to a reported burglary in the area, but he fled in his silver Chevy van. At the highway bridge in Dolores, Larsen allegedly swerved at two Montezuma County deputies who were attempting to lay down spike strips, according to court documents. The deputies jumped off the bridge and sustained broken bones.
Deputy recruit David Martin, 22, suffered compression fractures in his back and shattered his left ankle, Furse said. He will be off-duty for some time.
Deputy John Haynes, 45, suffered a fractured tibia in his leg. He is unable to perform his law enforcement duties.
Upon approaching Mancos on Colorado Highway 184, Larsen allegedly swerved into the traffic lane of Mancos Marshal Justen Goodall, nearly hitting him head-on, according to court records. He then jumped the median in town, drove into oncoming traffic and reportedly nearly struck a Colorado State Patrol officer who was on foot deploying spike strips.
The chase ended in the 32000 block of U.S. Highway 160, just east of the Montezuma County Fairgrounds, after a Colorado State Patrol trooper took the lead in the pursuit. According to court reports, Trooper Gabe Watkins stopped the van with a “tactical vehicle intervention.”
The 12 attempted murder charges pertain to Larsen’s alleged threatening driving behavior toward Montezuma County deputies Martin and Haynes, Mancos Marshal Goodall, Colorado State Patrol officers Tonja Cowan and Gabe Watkins, and Cortez Police Officer Glen Edwards.
Menacing charges also relate to Larsen’s driving behavior against the law enforcement personnel, and the two vehicular-assault charges pertain to Larsen’s alleged actions against Martin and Haynes.
Separate counts for eluding and obstructing a peace officer were added for each law enforcement official involved in the pursuit and arrest of Larsen.
At the court hearing, Larsen appeared in beige prison garb and glasses, and sat quietly while listening to the procedures. He was not asked to address the court, and briefly conferred with his attorney.
jmimiaga@the-journal.com
