Suspect connected to Fountain Police Officer death previously admitted he didn’t take parole seriously

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- 13 Investigates has learned that one of the three suspects involved in the deadly police chase that led to a Fountain Police Officer's death admitted to members of Colorado's Parole Board that he didn't take parole seriously and could "get over on the halfway house."

These words were uttered by Devon Bobian, a four-time convicted felon, during multiple recorded conversations with parole board members -- people who have the sole discretion to grant him parole from prison. 13 Investigates obtained the recordings in a public records request from the Colorado Department of Corrections (DOC).

"Even when I finished my parole last time, like, I'll be honest with you, I kind of half-a**ed it. Like, I mean, excuse my language, but um -- I see that if I'm going to be successful, that I got to be all [inaudible]​, no more, no more doing, that because look at where it got me," Bobian told parole board member Greg Saiz in November, 2022.

One month after saying these things, Bobian escaped from a community corrections site in Pueblo, where he was sent six months into a court-ordered 3 year sentence. Two months after that, Fountain Police Officer Julian Becerra fell off of a bridge and died after chasing Bobian.

Internal Department of Corrections records show Bobian was sent back to the same halfway house in Pueblo that he had previously been sent to twice in the last seven years.

Each time, he was sent back to prison.

Bobian was first sent to "Intervention Community Corrections Services" in 2014 after spending two years in prison on a felony robbery conviction. However, in August of 2015, Bobian was revoked back to prison for "multiple violations within the program," according to DOC records.

One of those violations was testing positive for suboxone, a common drug to treat opioid addiction. The positive test came mere weeks before he was scheduled to be paroled back into the community for the first time.

"I really don't have -- I really don't have any reason why I did it. I mean, I shouldn't have been doing it. I just I don't know. I was doing my own thing, thought I could get over on the halfway house and ended up here," Bobian told a former member of the parole board in 2015.

Six months later, Bobian was sent to an IRT (Intensive Residential Treatment) facility to be treated for substance use problems. He reported to his parole officer after being "unsuccessfully discharged from the SLV 90 day impatient treatment program," according to records.

He was revoked back to prison for 180 days. During that same 2015 conversation with a parole board member, Bobian admitted that he had a drug problem and that it sent him back to prison in previous months.

"That was my own sabotage on myself there. I just, I don't know. I -- I wasn't thinking clearly. I was frustrated and ended up using the drug and it sent me back to prison," Bobian said.

Then, during an at-home visit in April of 2017, Bobian admitted that he was high on heroin and had paid $100 for it two days earlier. His parole was revoked and criminal charges were filed against him.

One year later, Bobian was sent back to ICCS, the community corrections site in Pueblo for the second time after being revoked in 2015. In December of 2018 Bobian was terminated from ICCS for a second time for escaping from the facility. He later pleaded guilty to doing this, DOC records say.

Bobian alluded to developing a behavior of running from the community corrections site in Pueblo during the November, 2022 hearing with parole board member Saiz.

"Right away I started panicking, you know what I mean? So I automatically want to, 'oh well if Imma go back, then I'm just going to run.' Like, that would that would have been what I what I was so used to doing before and comfortable with just because I didn't want to go back?" Bobian told Saiz regarding his prior conduct.

13 Investigates asked the Colorado Department of Corrections why Bobian would be placed back in the same halfway house facility for a third time in 2022 after being revoked from it twice prior. Spokesperson Annie Skinner issued this statement:

We are required to refer inmates to community corrections in accordance with state statute. The local community corrections board determines whether or not to accept the person into their facility. In this situation, the Pueblo Community Corrections Board chose to accept him."

-- Annie Skinner, DOC Public Information Officer

When 13 Investigates asked what "state statute" they have to be in accordance with, we did not receive a response. KRDO also reached reached out to Pueblo County Commissioner Garrison Ortiz in an attempt to reach their community corrections board. At the time of publication, KRDO has not heard back from Commissioner Ortiz.