Aug.18 – A Longmont man charged with causing a fatal head-on collision just north of Boulder in 2022 pleaded not guilty today and was set for trial in March.
David Blattner, 52, is charged with vehicular homicide – reckless, reckless driving, driving on the wrong side of a dual carriageway, driving with a driver’s license and driving without a seatbelt in connection with the crash that killed Erik Shepard, 27.
Blattner will appear in court on February 5 for a hearing before a five-day trial on March 11. Blattner is currently in custody on $125,000 total bail, according to online court records.
According to an affidavit, on January 20, 2022, Blattner was traveling west on US 36 just north of Boulder at the 32-mile mark in an Audi A4 when he crossed the centerline and struck Shepard’s Honda head-on.
Emergency responders and witnesses who stopped at the accident told police that Blattner appeared to be intoxicated, and investigators found seven empty alcohol canisters in his car.
According to the affidavit, Blattner told investigators he reached for a lighter and did not see the other vehicle.
Blatter said he had taken methamphetamine a few days before the crash and it sometimes affects his driving ability. He couldn’t remember if he had been drinking.
According to the affidavit, a toxicology report found traces of methamphetamine and THC in his system, but no alcohol.
