Former Colorado police officer avoids jail after car he put handcuffed woman in is hit by train

An ex-police officer in Colorado has been given a sentence of 30 months on supervised probation after being found guilty of reckless endangerment and assault. The officer, Jordan Steinke, locked a handcuffed woman, Yareni Rios-Gonzalez, in a police car that was then hit by a freight train. However, Steinke was acquitted of the charge of criminal attempt to commit manslaughter. In addition to probation, she has also been ordered to perform 100 hours of community service. The incident took place in September 2022 when Steinke and another officer were investigating a road rage incident involving a weapon in Weld County, which is about 72 miles from Denver. Rios-Gonzalez was pulled over, taken into custody, and put into a police car that had been parked on train tracks. While the officers were searching her vehicle, a train struck the police car. Rios-Gonzalez suffered serious injuries, including a brain injury. During the sentencing, Steinke apologized to Rios-Gonzalez and expressed remorse for the incident. She mentioned that the events of that night have haunted her and that she remembers the victim's cries and screams. Steinke also stated that she hopes to give educational talks to police officers about the dangers of railway tracks. According to Rios-Gonzalez's lawyer, while she has been deeply affected by the crash and experienced anger, she also feels sorry for the fact that Steinke lost her career. The judge, Timothy Kerns, initially intended to send Steinke to prison as a lesson that police officers would be held accountable for misconduct. However, both the defense and prosecution requested a probationary sentence, leading the judge to change his decision. The other officer involved in the incident, Pablo Vazquez, is set to be tried later this year.