The Denver police officer arrested last week on suspicion of felony eluding was driving more than 100 mph on highways in Jefferson County while off duty, according to the state patrol.
A trooper parked on the right shoulder of eastbound Colorado 58, the Golden Freeway, spotted a pickup truck speeding down the road at 11:27 p.m. on Oct. 24, according to a news release from the Colorado State Patrol.
The trooper clocked the truck’s speed at 102 mph, nearly 40 mph over the posted speed limit of 65 mph, state patrol officials said in the release.
Investigators said the trooper followed the driver, believed to be off-duty Denver police officer Christopher Thomas, onto Interstate 70. The driver was traveling east on the highway at about 90 mph in a 65 mph zone, but accelerated back over 100 mph when he noticed the trooper behind his truck.
The trooper ended the pursuit because of traffic on I-70, but, using a partial license plate, traced the truck back to Thomas, state patrol officials said.
Another Denver officer was in the car with Thomas as he eluded the trooper and later texted a coworker for help, according to Thomas’ arrest affidavit.
She told another officer that Thomas was an “idiot” and had eluded officers trying to stop them on the highway. That officer took the messages to a sergeant, who then notified the department’s internal affairs staff.
Thomas was arrested Friday and booked into Jefferson County Jail on suspicion of felony eluding and reckless endangerment, state patrol officials said.
He was hired as a Denver police officer in 2021 and worked as a patrol officer in District 1. Thomas is suspended without pay while the case moves through the judicial process, .
During the investigation, police discovered text messages between Thomas’ passenger and Thomas’ sister, according to the arrest affidavit.
The sister told the passenger that they should report the truck stolen and said Thomas “couldn’t get caught up tonight drinking at all … because they’re going to associate that with the car tonight and alcohol and the car don’t mix.”
“I think a DUI would have been worse,” the sister wrote in a later message.
As of Monday, no alcohol-related charges had been filed against Thomas.
This is a developing story and may be updated.
