Lawyer Hits PD on Bike, Gets 9 Years in Drunken-Driving Case
A corporate lawyer in Colorado who drove his sport-utility vehicle into a bicycling Jefferson County deputy public defender last summer has been sentenced to nine years after pleading guilty to vehicular assault while driving drunk.
Jeffrey Scott Detlefs, 57, could have his jail sentence reviewed after he serves at least 120 days, when it could be converted to 10 years of probation, reports the Denver Post. He was an insurance and coverage practitioner with Kerr Brosseau Bartlett O’Brien at the time of the accident.
The assistant public defender, Rex Hegyi, has recovered. After the felony conviction, Detlefs will face a mandatory state supreme court review before he may practice law again, the newspaper notes.
Detlefs was reportedly connected to the accident by a license plate that fell off near the scene.
Additional and related coverage:
The Denver Channel: “Hit-And-Run Driver Leaves Plate Near Downed Bicyclist”
ABAJournal.com: “Drunken Driver Spared Jail Time Accused in New DWI Accident, and Judge Is the Victim”
