Charges dropped against three Colorado officers in Christian Glass killing

A Colorado judge dismissed failure-to-intervene charges against three officers present at the 2022 shooting death of Christian Glass. The shooter, Andrew Buen, was sentenced to three years in jail.

Colorado judge drops charges against officers in 2022 Christian Glass shooting

Three law enforcement officers who were on the scene during the 2022 killing of Christian Glass have had criminal charges against them dismissed, cpr.org reported Wednesday.

Judge Cynthia Jones dismissed misdemeanor failure-to-intervene charges against Brittany Morrow, Colorado State Patrol Trooper Ryan Bennie, and former Georgetown Police Officer Timothy Collins on Tuesday, the Clear Creek County District Attorney's Office confirmed.

Morrow, now employed by the Idaho Springs Police Department, along with Bennie and Collins were present on a dark rural road near Silver Plume in June 2022 when former Clear Creek County Sheriff's Deputy Andrew Buen shot and killed Glass, who was 22 years old at the time.

Officers had initially responded to a call from Glass himself, who said his car was stuck. Glass was driving back to Boulder County from a geology trip in Utah and had informed the dispatcher that his vehicle contained tools — including a hammer, a rubber mallet, and knives — that could be viewed as weapons.

A standoff developed after Glass refused to exit his vehicle despite officers' commands. Bean bag rounds and tasers were deployed after Buen believed Glass was attempting to strike then Georgetown Police Marshal Randy Williams. Buen subsequently fired multiple rounds, fatally wounding Glass.

Buen was convicted of reckless endangerment in April 2024 and criminally negligent homicide earlier this year. He received the maximum sentence of three years in jail.

Morrow, Bennie, and Collins were among six officers originally charged with failure to intervene. Sgt. Kyle Gould, a supervising officer who monitored the incident remotely, pleaded guilty to that charge in 2023 and had his Colorado police certification revoked in 2024. Collins, who was with the Clear Creek County Sheriff's Office at the time of the shooting, later resigned from the Georgetown Police Department, which has since been disbanded.

Late last year, a judge also dropped charges against Colorado Division of Gaming officers Mary Harris and Christa Lloyd, who had been serving in a support role during the confrontation.

Colorado State Patrol Colonel Matthew Packard said in a written statement that he welcomed the decision to dismiss charges against Bennie.

"While I wish the process to arrive at this outcome would have been different, particularly in avoiding an unnecessary criminal charge against Trooper Bennie, I also understand the complexities involved," Packard said. "The Colorado State Patrol is glad to have Trooper Bennie continue his professional service to the people of Colorado as a member of our agency."

The Glass family reached a $19 million settlement with Clear Creek County — described as the largest known police settlement in Colorado history.

Source: Google News GY — Georgetown