driver accused of “disaster” | Cowboy State Daily

A 26-year-old man accused of killing and dismembering two motorcyclists with his truck in August 2023 while high on methamphetamine pleaded not guilty Thursday.

Johnathan Cervantes attended his arraignment Thursday afternoon in Goshen County District Court, accompanied by his attorney Eric Palen and a translator.

The proceedings come after Cervantes evaded charges against him for nearly a year until immigration officials turned him over to Goshen County for prosecution, according to court documents.

“Your honor, my client will plead not guilty, thank you,” Palen said on behalf of Cervantes.

Judge Edward Buchanan pleaded not guilty and said he would set a trial date within the next six months.

Cervantes faces two counts of aggravated vehicular homicide and one of possession of methamphetamine. The first two counts each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine, while the drug charge carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison and $15,000 fine.

“Completely disintegrated”

The investigation began on the evening of Aug. 11, 2023, when Wyoming Highway Patrol Trooper Samuel Szott responded to a two-vehicle crash on Highway 85 in Goshen County, according to an affidavit of evidence filed in the case.

Szott found a silver Dodge Ram 2500 pickup on its wheels in the grass on the east side of the road, as well as a Harley-Davidson tricycle in the grass south of the pickup, the document states.

Only the rear wheels and the seat were still connected. The rest of the motorcycle was completely destroyed, Szott wrote in the affidavit.

Two people who were on board the tricycle were “catastrophically dismembered” in the crash and died, he added.

Witness statements indicated the pickup truck was heading north and the motorcycle was heading south when the truck crossed the center lane and struck the tricycle head-on, the document states.

The road had a tire mark and scrape marks extending back toward the northbound lane, showing the impact occurred in the southbound lane near the center line. Szott found deep scratches in the centerline rumble strips.

“Scratches, blood and debris followed both vehicles to their final rest,” he wrote. “Severe crushing damage to the front of the pickup also included blood and bone fragments in the grille, radiator and bumper.”

A passenger in the truck said he was sleeping during the crash.

Cervantes was thrown from the truck and seriously injured.

The discovery of methamphetamine

Authorities took Cervantes to a hospital in Loveland, Colorado.

But first, a medical responder reported finding a small plastic bag containing what looked like methamphetamine and two glass meth pipes in Cervantes’ socks, the affidavit states. The speaker said he could also smell alcohol on Cervantes’ breath.

When Szott later collected the meth, it weighed 4.9 grams.

Szott found traces of blood on the driver’s seat of the truck, which extended toward the sunroof. The sunroof was destroyed, leaving a crater on the roof.

Cervantes was likely ejected through the sunroof during the rollover, Szott wrote.

The Dodge Ram’s airbag control module reportedly showed it was going at least 86 mph before the collision, which Szott called a low rating since the truck had oversized tires.

A witness handed Szott a wallet containing a U.S. permanent resident card registered to Cervantes. An ICE agent later said the card was fake, the affidavit states.

In a follow-up interview with Cowboy State Daily in August, Szott said he was unable to confirm Cervantes’ immigration or citizenship status.

was verified

Toxicology records from Cervantes Hospital reportedly showed methamphetamine and benzodiazepines as well as alcohol in his blood.

Cervantes checked himself out of the hospital while the investigation was still ongoing and before there was a warrant for his arrest, Szott told Cowboy State Daily in August. He was arrested in Kansas in July on “unrelated charges,” Szott added.

Investigators initially issued an arrest warrant for one “Jhonatan Cervantes” on October 19, 2023, when Cervantes was first charged. This name is incorrect, so Goshen County Deputy Prosecutor Kenneth Brown filed a request on July 12, 2024, to replace the first warrant with one for “Johnathan Cervantes,” the correct name.

Claire McFarland can be reached at [email protected].