The driver of a stretch limousine that ran over East High School senior Molly Bloom, costing her a leg, is a registered sex offender with arrests for drunken driving.
According to court records, Stanley D. Sample, 38, of Lakewood was convicted in 2001 of driving under the influence.
He had an additional drunken-driving charge in 1997 that was dismissed by the Jefferson County district attorney for insufficient physical evidence.
In 2001, Sample pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, a felony, and misdemeanor sexual assault. He was sentenced to four years of probation.
Because the sex crime was a misdemeanor, Sample was not barred from being in contact with minors. He last registered with the Lakewood Police Department as a sex offender in April and is required to do so annually, police spokesman Steve Davis said.
Sample’s employer, Richard Perricone, chief operating officer of 5th Avenue N Style Limousine, said Sample passed all the necessary background checks to be licensed and credentialed as a limo driver. He was hired in February.
“He was cleared by his probation officer and by our insurance company to drive the vehicle,” Perricone said. “He did mention his criminal history in his application, but his DUI was back in 2001 and it involved points off his license. ”
Police are still interviewing students about the incident, which happened Saturday night in the street in front of the Sherman Events Center at East 17th Avenue and Sherman Street.
The case is expected to be forwarded to the Denver District Attorney’s Office, which will decide whether charges are warranted, said police spokeswoman Virginia Quiñones.
Bloom, 17, was still in critical condition Tuesday at Denver Health Medical Center after surgery, which involved amputating her left leg.
Bloom was among a group of prom friends getting into the passenger side of the Hummer when Sample began driving. Some friends were inside the limo and some were still on the street when it began moving, a witness said.
Bloom was dragged under the rear tire for a short distance before the driver realized what was happening and stopped.
A longtime friend and classmate of Bloom’s, Jack Pincus, administered first aid until paramedics arrived. Pincus, who is certified in wilderness first aid, used his tuxedo vest and applied pressure to Bloom’s wounds to prevent her from bleeding to death, friends said.
Pincus declined to comment about the incident. But fellow students were hailing him as a hero for helping save Bloom’s life.
A standout on the swim team and a lifeguard at community swimming pools the past two summers, Bloom was looking forward to graduation and planned on enrolling at the University of Colorado at Boulder in the fall, friends said.
Tuesday was the last day for seniors at East. Students were asked by the school’s principal not to speak to news media.
One of Bloom’s friends got her family’s approval to talk to The Denver Post, and he described the events leading up to the tragedy under the condition of anonymity.
Bloom was with about two dozen friends, who had dinner with a group of their parents at a home near the high school.
No one in the group had been drinking that night, the student said.
The students pitched in money to rent the limo for the evening and met Sample about 9 p.m. at the East High School parking lot. The group cruised the city for a while before the prom, taking in the luxury SUV’s sound system and customized interior-lights show.
The limo pulled up in the street in front of the events center just after 11 p.m. to pick up the party. Sample began driving away as Bloom was partly hanging out of the vehicle, the student said.
The student would not discuss why Sample began driving away before everyone was in the limo.
Sample is on leave pending the results of an investigation of the the incident. He could not be reached for comment.
“He’s been an exemplary employee,” Perricone said. “He is still very shaken up from this incident and distraught about the whole matter.”
Staff writer Manny Gonzales can be reached at 303-820-1537 or mgonzales@denverpost.com.
