Trial pushed back for dump truck driver in fatal crash west of Longmont

Mitchell Byars, Daily Camera, Boulder, Colo.
·3 min read

Jan. 19—The dump truck driver accused of causing a crash that killed a 17-year-old west of Longmont in July of 2020 had his trial pushed back due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Sean Daniel Souders, 54, pleaded not guilty in June to vehicular homicide, criminal mischief causing $100,000 to $1 million in damage, third-degree assault and two counts of reckless driving.

Souders was supposed to stand trial starting this week, but Boulder County has suspended jury trials until at least February due to rising COVID numbers in Boulder County and the spread of the new omicron variant.

As a result, Boulder District Judge Thomas Mulvahill declared a mistrial and ordered a new trial be set at a hearing Tuesday.

"It's too risky for all the prospective jurors and all the trial participants," Mulvahill said.

Neither prosecutors nor defense attorneys objected to the trial being pushed back.

Attorneys also agreed to set a trial beyond February in the event the suspension was extended, and Souders is now set for trial starting May 23.

He was released on bond after his parole in a previous case expired. Prosecutors had asked for a secured bond rather than a personal recognizance bond, but Mulvahill ruled that Souders had enough community ties that a high secured bond was not warranted.

"The defendant has been a long-time Boulder County resident, has the support of his father, mother and uncle who live in the area, remained locally while the investigation in this case was underway, voluntarily surrendered himself to the Boulder County Jail within seven days of the arrest warrant issuing in this case, voluntarily surrendered himself to his parole officer on a parole violation based upon the arrest warrant issuing in this case, and appeared in court on Nov. 29 for a bond hearing," Mulvahill wrote. "Those circumstances substantially weigh against the necessity of a high secured bond."

Mulvahill did grant the prosecution's request for pre-trial supervision.

Colorado State Patrol investigators say that on July 24, 2020, Souders was driving a white Kenworth dump truck that crashed into a convertible in the 9800 block of North 51st Street and then crashed into a house near the intersection of North 51st Street and Nelson Road.

The driver of the convertible, Kelsey Skokan, 17, of Longmont, died as a result of the crash. Souders and and his 21-year-old passenger were taken to a hospital with serious injuries. A 22-year-old passenger in the convertible, identified by family as Ian Fleming, suffered moderate injuries.

The home the truck crashed into also belonged to the Skokan family, and the damage was estimated at more than $100,000.

Souders told Colorado State Patrol troopers his steering went out as he was navigating the right hand curve in the roadway, but the passenger in the dump truck told investigators Souders was traveling too fast and lost control, according to an arrest affidavit.

Tire marks at the scene showed the dump truck crossed the center line and also indicated the dump truck was turning before the crash but not enough to stay in the lane.

A crash reconstruction determined Souders was traveling at a minimum speed of 51.32 mph in a 35 mph zone, the affidavit states.

Through a warrant, investigators searched the dump truck and stated it was in proper mechanical condition with no observable malfunctions, the affidavit states.