Son gets slain father’s cruiser despite coming up short

The son of a slain Weld County sheriff’s deputy came up short in his bid to buy his father’s cruiser. But he walked away with the keys anyway.

Rancher Steve Wells bought Sam Brownlee’s Dodge Charger at a benefit auction Wednesday for $60,000 and immediately turned the keys over to 19-year-old Tanner Brownlee.

Tanner was 15 when his father was killed in a shootout in November 2010. Before the auction, he told the Greeley Tribune that his father was a gearhead and lovingly took care of the Charger. He said he and his father never had the chance to tackle a car or motorcycle project together and that taking care of his treasured cruiser would be a close second to that.