Old Town crash: 88-year-old defendant pleads not guilty

Van Edward Lemaster appeared in court on Thursday to face seven charges connected to the August 29 crash that killed Joshua Douglass in Fort Collins. The defendant, 88, sat beside his attorney and used a headset to hear the proceedings as Judge Daniel McDonald read the counts aloud.

The charges include one count of vehicular homicide, four counts of vehicular assault, and two counts of reckless endangerment. Judge McDonald explained the sentencing range to Lemaster. The vehicular homicide charge carries a prison term of two to six years, though the sentence can extend to 12 years if aggravating circumstances are found. Lemaster told the court he understood the potential penalties.

The accident happened on Mountain Avenue in Old Town Fort Collins near the end of the Tour de Fat bicycle parade. According to the arrest affidavit, Lemaster was backing his Chevrolet Silverado out of a parking space when he struck another vehicle. Investigators reported that he then accelerated onto a sidewalk and an outdoor patio where pedestrians were gathered. Douglass later died from his injuries.

The affidavit notes that Lemaster told a hospital officer he had tried to reverse several times before he "just gunned it" to exit the space. Investigators cited vehicle data showing the accelerator pedal was fully depressed as the truck moved forward. Lemaster is scheduled to return to court at 10 a.m. on December 8.