Trial Begins For Former Deputy Accused In Hwy 94 Fatal Crash

The trial began Tuesday for a former El Paso County sheriff’s deputy charged in a deadly crash on Highway 94 and Curtis Road in August.

Rodney Fannin is accused of careless driving resulting in death, a misdemeanor offense, after police said he ran a red light and plowed into the car of Vivian Elmo, a 41-year-old Air Force captain.

At least a dozen of Elmo’s family members and friends were in court for the start of the trial, and some sobbed as prosecutors described the horrific injuries Elmo suffered from the crash.

Fannin’s attorney told jurors that his client had a green light when he went through the intersection, claiming the traffic lights at Highway 94 and Curtis Road are faulty, and sometimes show green or yellow in all four directions.

The defense attorney said he would be calling two members of the Ellicott Fire Department to back those claims.

All of the witnesses to the accident were driving behind Elmo, and the prosecution called three people who testified about what they saw.

One man said he heard Fannin say, “my brakes failed” after the crash, but another witness said she heard Fannin state that he had a green light.

Fannin has been convicted of careless driving twice before and was on probation at the time of the deadly crash in August. He was off-duty from the sheriff’s office at the time of the accident. He was fired the next month.

Fannin could spend up to a year in jail if he’s found guilty in this case.

Prosecutors said the trial is expected to be a quick one, with closing arguments happening Wednesday or Thursday.