The Fort Lupton police officer who placed a handcuffed woman inside a patrol car that was struck by a train while parked on the tracks testified Tuesday that she saw the tracks but “did not perceive them” because her focus was elsewhere.
“I am sure that my eyes looked at the railroad tracks at some level,” Officer Jordan Steinke said. “But I did not perceive them because that is not where the threat was going to come from. The threat was going to come from her.”
Steinke was referring to Yareni Rios, who was accused of pointing a gun at another driver during a road rage incident in September. Platteville Police Officer Pablo Vazquez pulled Rios over, and when he did, he parked his patrol car on a set of railroad tracks.
Steinke responded to assist Vasquez and eventually placed a handcuffed Rios in the back of Vasquez’s patrol car. Not long after, a freight train hit the vehicle with Rios still inside. Rios survived but suffered serious injuries.
“I was fairly certain that that particular stop was going to end in a gunfight,” Steinke said. “I never in a million years thought a train was going to come plowing through my scene.”
Credit: Platteville Police Department
The trial for Steinke, who is charged with attempted reckless manslaughter and two misdemeanor counts, began Monday in Weld County District Court. Prosecutors rested their case and Steinke’s defense began presenting evidence Tuesday. They called one witness before Steinke took the stand in her own defense.
Steinke testified that she placed Rios into the Platteville patrol car because it was the closest and her primary concern was getting Rios “secure.” She suggested in her testimony that she did not see the tracks because it was “incredibly dark” and she was focused on Rios and the lights of Vasquez’s patrol car when she pulled up.
RELATED: Woman in police car hit by train pleads no contest to misdemeanor menacing charge
“I work with railroad tracks every day in Fort Lupton, that is absolutely true,” she said. “What has never happened to me, I’ve never had to distrust a tactical decision or a move, parking position of any of my fellow officers. I trusted that Sgt. Vasquez’s vehicle was in a secure location at that time.”
She said the tracks were “flush” with the ground and that she never saw the train until it was too late.
source
When you take the dregs of society and give them guns and badges, this is what you get. Back the blue until they beat or kill you. Thug logic, the safest place to park is on an active railroad crossing. Notice the thug moron talks about how upset he is because, "he saw it". Not a care in the world about the woman he almost killed.
How stupid do you have to be to get out of your vehicle and not realize your on train tracks…
There is no good place to put a person in a car when a train is coming. Tell me what part was better again?
Yeah, he really looks torn up. I liked how he said that the good thing is that she was on the driver's side of the car when it was hit by a train. He looks like he is going to sleep just fine that night. Cops always get out of trouble when they hurt or kill someone. They have nothing to fear. Court's, other cops, government
Cops who have difficulty identifying objects should not be cops.
So they had about 30 seconds to yell “train train”, but no time to open the door in those 30 seconds??? She should be fired and send to jail for this. She had no idea her colleague parked on the train track. The woman in the car must have been absolutely terrified, we don’t hear a word about that.
So we aint supposed to expect them to pay attention to where a car is parked but we are supposed to expect them to safely carry and use a firearm?
She either did it on purpose OR she is just so incredibly stupid that she is a danger to others.
system created by them to protect them, not to protect civilians.
Just picture charges and jail time if a civilian did the same, left a car on track by mistake with a passenger inside.
Once a person put on cuffs cop is responsible for that persons safety.
Recieving training??? You can't fix stupid….Fire the dumb b.tch before she ACTUALLY kills someone
Wtf is this cop doing? She actually parked on the tracks, just wow!
That officer is a total idiot, she does not need to carry a fire arm. She is a menace to everyone around her.
Both officers are idiots and liars
You always let the car ahead of you go 2 or more car lengths beyond the crossing before following over the tracks because if they stop, you are stuck. How did these cops not know and not care that their car was parked in the crossing? These imbeciles were only focused on making a bust and should be banned for life from LE and serve 20 years without parole.
Yareni bout to be one rich woman when she sues the piss out these dumbass pigs
That male officer ran what a coward and what's with all the tattoo on that police officers armed she covered needle marks 7 years for her 10 for the coward ignorance is no excuse in the eyes of the law give her a hot dog and getting him a bar soap
Is Sarge next??
She Should become a rich woman after this
Negligence at its most! She was in his custody… and did NOTHING to prevent what was expectable. Hall of shame again.
A perfectly good cruiser now a pile of junk.
This is attempted murder. Those idiot baboons with a badge.
The cop didn't realize the 2 big white x shaped signs that said railroad crossing meant that a train comes through there. The other officer didn't realize the arresting officer was parked on tracks. I guess he didn't notice the car parked in between the big railroad crossing signs.🐂💩 They both should be terminated immediately and have Stupid tattooed on their foreheads!
Cop says they had a mishap! So thats what they call locking someone in a cage thats sitting in the middle of a train track so a train could hit them! A MISHAP!
She belongs in prison……she is unfit for duty. Pathetic excuse of an officer
Both Vasquez and Steinke should be facing charges, and more than just misdemeanor. And to never be able to hold a LE job of any kind ever again. Also, the victim needs to sue the department.
a miss hap. don't lie dirty cop you didn't want to save her. you saw the train coming and did shit. thats a cop killer right there. the lies will keep coming
if i drive around the arms to beat a train and get caught i d get a bigger fine then these assholes
Sentence 3 years in prison and pay restitution to injured party for the rest of her life. Millions💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰💰
How incompetent do you have to be to leave your squad car parked on train tracks. 🤦♂️ she could have easily put her in another squad car…
Sounds like bologna to me
Why would you put parking police car on a train track?
Policing is treated as a low IQ job paying low IQ salaries and this is the result.
Policing should be on par with nursing.
3 year degree with an appropriate pay scale.
That would flush the kinds of idiots that park on railroad tracks.
We had a "mishap" here. Understatement of the year. What a bunch of IDIOTS!
Disgusting.
People to start taking payback. payback disappeared and we started getting the weirdos we're getting today
HANDCUFFS WITH 9 BROKEN RIBS < REAL HEROES >
Not one of those cowards tried to get that woman out of that car soon as they put handcuffs on they were responsible for her what kind of moron Parks his car on a railroad track what kind of moron put somebody in a car locked up on a railroad track not being able to look ahead and foresee something that might possibly happen is pretty ignorant hope this woman sues for every penny she can get she is so lucky to be alive every one of these narrow-minded officer should be fired
Just a classic; park-your-patrol-car-on-the-train-tracks-and-then-put-the-suspect-in-the-car mishap.
That train came out of nowhere! It’s like the train was TRYING to hit the patrol car. Didn’t anyone tell the conductor that patrol cars have the right-of-way? What a mishap.
It is easy for my mind to be in the cab of the lead locomotive. You see the lights of a cop car in the distance, then realise the car is straddling the tracks. You sound your train's horn in warning, then you see the young woman trapped inside the cop car. Trust me you will see her and the terror on her face. The head, and ditch lights will illuminate the interior of the car. There is nothing you can do to stop whats about to happen. Stupidity has endangered an innocent life.
In the end, all you can say is Thank God we didnt kill her.
Absolutely, gross negligence! A misdemeanor?! My Gawd! This would be a felony for any other person.
A cop parking their coty/county owned taxpayer funded vehicle on railroad tracks!!! How low on the intelligence scale do you have to be to do such then put a handcuffed individual in the vehicle and leave the vehicle unattended??? Or is arrogance to the tune "I'm cop I can park anywhere!!! I hope this cop is checked out mentally and tested with a battery of common sense test to find how far he/she/it is below the minimum standards to be a cop!!!
The cop is even laughing, they don’t care about you Mr safety but theirs that’s who you hire to protect and serve: incompetent, cruel and impulsive.🤷♂️
What kind of a dumbass stops any kind of vehicle on a ralroad crossing?