An Alaska man was arrested Saturday in Boulder County on suspicion of trying to kill his wife while she was driving them near Lyons by attempting to cause a head-on crash or force their vehicle off a cliff.
Rodney David Burba Jr., a 34-year-old from Ketchikan, Alaska, was booked into the county jail on suspicion of several charges, including attempted second-degree murder, obstruction of a telephone, reckless endangerment and littering.
The Boulder County Sheriff’s Office says Burba and his wife were in the area for the holidays when they decided to drive to Estes Park for the day.
“While the couple was traveling north of Lyons, Rodney became anxious and agitated, and consumed several pieces of edible marijuana gum,” the sheriff’s office said in a Sunday news release. “Rodney asked his wife to call the police, as he believed he was going to pass out, but she was unable to as there was no cell service in the area.”
As the couple approached Lyons, Rodney allegedly grabbed the vehicle’s wheel several times, jerking it in an attempt to make the car crash, authorities said.
“Rodney’s wife told deputies she tried to call 911 several times while returning to Lyons,” the release said, “but each time Rodney grabbed the phone out of her hands, or grabbed and jerked the steering wheel in an attempt to crash the vehicle.”
Eventually, Burba’s wife was able to call authorities. Deputies responded and took Burba into custody.
Investigators ask that anyone in the area of the North Saint Vrain Canyon on Christmas Eve that may have seen a white 2016 Chevrolet Cruze driving erratically to call the sheriff’s office at 303-441-3650.
