Baca County Commissioner arrested by Colorado State Patrol six months after DUI crash
BACA COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Baca County Commissioner Shiloh Freed faces five misdemeanor charges tied to a DUI crash back in January he tried to cover up.
On Wednesday, a Colorado State Patrol trooper arrested the 44-year-old in Huerfano County on an arrest warrant filed two days earlier. The warrant was for a crash CSP investigated back in January.
According to CSP Master Trooper Gary Cutler, Freed was either taken to the hospital by himself or another person after the accident in Baca County. He was later questioned at the hospital before being flown out to Memorial Central in Colorado Springs.
According to his arrest affidavit, CSP was notified by the Southeast Colorado Hospital in Springfield to investigate a single car roll-over crash on Baca County Rd., north of Highway 160. The vehicle reportedly drove off the right side road, overcorrected, and drove off the left side of the road before hitting a trip point that caused it to roll two full times rotating 180 degrees.
Once at the hospital, Freed admitted to the trooper he had been drinking that night but claimed someone else had been driving his vehicle and he was just a passenger. He provided the trooper with the name of a man named "John Hillman." However, Freed said he didn't know Hillman's address or where he was after the crash.
The affidavit states the trooper spoke with someone else who had been at the bar when Freed claimed he was there. That person said Freed hadn't been at the bar and also didn't know a "John Hillman." The owner of the bar also confirmed that Freed wasn't there.
The Baca County Clerk's Office told investigators they couldn't find anyone by the name of John Hillman or John Hilman owning property or a vehicle in Baca County. The Baca County Sheriff's Office and Springfield Police Department also said they didn't have any record of a John Hillman or John Hilman.
After interviewing Freed's ex-wife, the affidavit states it was determined that Freed was the only person in the vehicle at the time of the crash - there was no John Hillman with him.
Freed's blood was initially drawn on Jan. 3, 2023, at Southeast Colorado Hospital. The remaining sample of blood was seized by a warrant on Jan. 10, 2023, and was retrieved from the hospital's dumpster. The blood vials seal was not broken.
According to the affidavit, three samples of Freed's blood that were collected on Jan. 3, 2023, showed Freed was over the legal limit of 0.08. One sample at the hospital said his blood alcohol level (BAC) was 0.230, the second sample tested by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation showed a BAC of 0.186, and the third sample from UCHealth Memorial Central showed a BAC of 0.143.
The affidavit states that Freed had walked away from a crash, didn't report the crash, and gave a false report of an unknown driver to "try and cover up his actions."
Freed currently faces numerous charges. One of the charges Freed faces is providing false information. The other four charges include driving under the influence, careless driving, and two counts of failing to report the accident.
However, questions remain about why a warrant for Freed’s arrest wasn’t issued until six months after the accident. Cutler said he wasn’t sure.
13 Investigates reached out to the Baca County Sheriff’s Office for more information about the incident. They said they couldn’t provide information because there were no “authorized personnel” in the office. The two other Baca County Commissioners didn’t respond.
This isn’t Freed’s first DUI. In 2010, the Baca County Sheriff’s Office arrested and charged him with driving while ability impaired, driving under restraint, and a misdemeanor assault. Freed pleaded guilty to the driving while ability impaired charge while the two other charges were dismissed. He also has a reckless driving charge dating back to 2007.
The Huerfano and Baca County Jail told 13 Investigates Freed is no longer in custody and posted his bond Wednesday night.
Freed's next court appearance is scheduled for next week.