The man suspected of rear-ending a Thornton motorcycle police officer Saturday is in trouble with police for the fourth time this year, court records show.Authorities say Fernando Malagon, 19, of Denver was drunk when he rear-ended the officer on Interstate 25 near East 84th Avenue at about 8 a.m.
The officer, who has not been named, remained in serious but stable condition at Denver Health Medical Center with broken bones and internal injuries Sunday.
Thornton police spokesman Matt Barnes said the officer is a 19-year veteran of the department, most of that time spent on motorcycle patrols.
Malagon is being investigated for a charge of felony vehicular assault, which includes the allegation he was driving drunk or otherwise impaired, Barnes said.
He was freed Saturday from the Adams County Detention Center on $5,000 bond, a jail spokesman said.
The arrest is Malagon's most serious offense.
On Feb. 8, Malagon was cited by the Adams County Sheriff's Department for allegedly speeding between 10 and 19 mph over the limit and passing on the right. The charges were dismissed by a judge March 9, court records show.
On Feb. 13, the Adams County Sheriff's Department ticketed Malagon on several offenses. He pleaded guilty and paid a $35 fine for operating an unsafe or defective vehicle. In exchange for the plea, charges of failure to display proof of insurance, driving an unregistered vehicle and failure to obey a traffic-control device were dropped by the Adams County district attorney's office March 22, court records indicate.
On Jan. 22, the Broomfield County Sheriff's Department arrested Malagon for shoplifting. He pleaded guilty March 9 and was fined $150.
