A former La Plata County Sheriff’s deputy is serving a 10-day jail sentence as punishment for a crash that killed Greg Ryder, a longtime, regular performer at the Diamond Belle Saloon and The Office Spiritorium in the Strater Hotel.
La Plata County Judge Dondi Osborne sentenced Nathaniel Andrew after he admitted to falling asleep while driving, crossing the center line on U.S. Highway 550 north and crashing into Ryder after a 12-hour night shift at La Plata County Jail.
Andrew pleaded guilty to careless driving resulting in death and has since resigned from the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office.
Along with his 10-day jail sentence, Osborne sentenced Andrew to two years of probation, ordered he perform 100 hours of useful public service and restricted him from driving between the hours of 11 p.m. and 5 a.m. for his first year of probation.
Andrew has also been ordered to pay $1,930 in restitution.
Osborne denied a previous agreement between Andrew and the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office, saying the proposed sentence – which did not include jail time – was too lenient.
The judge at the time said she would not accept a plea deal unless Andrew could be sentenced to at least 10 days in jail.
Osborne accepted a plea agreement in his case Jan. 14 – Andrew was ordered to report to jail for his sentence Jan. 15.
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