The man accused in a hit-and-run collision that killed Englewood police officer Jeremy Bitner as he performed a traffic stop, allegedly consumed two beers, two shots of vodka, a shot of schnapps and a rum-and- coke drink before the May 28 collision.
After more than two hours of testimony Tuesday, 18th Judicial District Court Magistrate Frank Moschetti ruled that the prosecution had presented enough evidence at the preliminary hearing to proceed on two felony charges against 20-year-old Conner Donohue — vehicular homicide and leaving the scene of an accident.
Englewood Police Det. Bobbie Garrett testified at the Arapahoe County courthouse that Donohue had been drinking at a housewarming party before he collided with Bitner and a 20-year-old man who had been pulled over at 11:48 p.m. on May 27.
The collision that killed Bitner, 39, and seriously injured Kevin Montoya occurred near the intersection of South Broadway and East Bellview Avenue. Police say Donohue sped off after hitting Bitner and Montoya, who were standing outside their vehicles. He was stopped 3 miles away by police.
Garrett interviewed Donohue at about 4 a.m. She said he described the crash as “nicking a car” and said that he told her that he should not have been driving.
She also said he described himself as “a little inebriated” when entering his Nissan Pathfinder that night. He could not recall the specific time he left the party, first saying 11 p.m. and then 9:30 p.m., Garrett said.
When she told Donohue about Bitner’s condition, Garrett said he became upset and put his head in his hands.
Colorado State Trooper Glen Brown , the lead investigator in the case, said
based on accident reconstruction, Bitner remained on the hood of Donohue’s SUV for 70 feet before falling off. His belt left marks on the hood of the vehicle and his notebook was trapped in the windshield.
“It was obvious that a police officer had been hit,” Brown said. He said the contact between the patrol car and Donohue’s car was slight.
Montoya was thrown 46 feet in the air, Brown said. He was treated at Swedish Medical Center and released May 29.
According to court testimony, blood drawn at 1:45 a.m. measured Donohue’s blood-alcohol level at 0.252, and at 0.22 an hour later. A Colorado driver is presumed to be intoxicated at a blood-alcohol content of 0.08.
Defense attorney John Portman argued about the veracity of those tests, pointing out that the times have been corrected.
Before the preliminary hearing, Portman requested to continue the case — asking for more time for additional discovery.
Tegan Hanlon: 303-954-1729, thanlon@denverpost.com
