Sandra Jacobson, accused of driving drunk and causing a crash that killed two Connecticut librarians, faces tougher alcohol testing requirements after being accused of violating her bond for the third time.
Jacobson, 40, faced the possible revocation of her bond after a monitor on her leg showed that she consumed alcohol July 8 — something Jacobson denied doing under oath Tuesday.
In an afternoon hearing, Denver District Judge Sheila Rappaport decided that rather than scheduling a full-blown hearing on the validity of those results that she would instead require Jacobson to submit to more rigorous testing.
“If there are any violations whatsoever, her bond will be revoked,” Rappaport said.
Jacobson faces multiple charges in a Jan. 28 crash on Peña Boulevard that killed Kathy Krasniewicz, 54, and Kate McClelland, 71. According to police investigators, Jacobson was driving to Denver International Airport when she veered into another lane and collided with a taxi van, sending it off the road and into a roll.
The women, neither of whom were wearing seat belts, were thrown from the van and killed.
A test administered approximately four hours after the crash showed Jacobson’s blood-alcohol level was 0.183 percent — more than twice the legal threshold for intoxication in Colorado.
Jacobson, who is expected to go to trial later this year, had been ordered to wear an ankle bracelet that measured alcohol secreted through the skin. Prosecutors alleged in two previous cases that the monitor showed she had been drinking. On April 21, a judge revoked her bond and sent her back to jail. She bonded out again April 28.
In the most recent episode, Sean Stinger of the Denver probation department said the ankle monitor showed a “confirmed” consumption of alcohol July 8. But rather than schedule a hearing, Rappaport ordered the removal of the ankle bracelet — which Jacobson said aggravated her skin — and imposed new testing requirements.
A device called a Sobrietor will be installed in Jacobson’s home. It will require that she submit to breath-alcohol tests at least every four hours. The device uses voice-recognition technology to ensure the identity of the person submitting to the test.
At the same time, Rappaport ordered random urine tests for Jacobson.
“Because of the nature of the charges,” Rappaport said, “we need to have something in place that I am comfortable with.”
Kevin Vaughan: 303-954-5019 or kvaughan@denverpost.com
