Denver, CO : Theft suspect in I-76 crash near Wiggins suffers severe burns on April, Sunday 2nd 2017

The driver of a pickup who allegedly led police on a high-speed chase on the eastern plains remains in critical condition with severe burns after crashing head-on into a car on I-76 near Wiggins.

Joshua Rene Paredez, 27, also is suspected of stealing about $1,000 of goods Sunday from a Murdoch’s ranch and home store in Fort Morgan.

An Aurora couple were injured Sunday evening when the pickup driven by Paredez crashed into their car, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office said. Timothy Willemsen, 58, was released from North Colorado Medical Center in Greeley, where he was treated for cuts, bruises and broken bones, according to the sheriff’s office.

Willemsen’s wife, Shelley, remains in serious condition at Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland with multiple fractures and chest and head injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

The incident started about 6 p.m. Sunday, when an off-duty investigator with the sheriff’s office saw a Murdoch’s employee in Fort Morgan chasing and yelling at a man who had an “armload” of power tools, the sheriff’s office said. The investigator followed the suspect, who fled in a pickup, and called 911.

The driver of the pickup parked a short distance away then backed into the investigator’s vehicle and sped off. State troopers saw the pickup merging onto westbound I-76, and the driver went across the median into the eastbound lane, driving against traffic.

Deputy Cris Pineda spotted the pickup and pursued it through Wiggins on Central Avenue before the truck got back on I-76 west of Wiggins. The speed of the fleeing truck hit up to 130 mph at some points, the sheriff’s office said.The pickup again entered eastbound lanes and drove against traffic, hitting the Willemsens’ car a short time later. The pickup flipped off the south side of the eastbound lanes and caught fire. The driver was unconscious and trapped in the pickup.

Paredez was taken to University Hospital, where he remains in “very critical condition” with extensive burns and other injuries, the sheriff’s office said.

Paredez has outstanding arrest warrants out of Lakewood and Fountain for failure to appear on shoplifting and domestic violence charges, the sheriff’s office said. Prior arrests in Texas include DUI, fraud, cruelty to animals and illegal drugs.

When released from the hospital, Paredez will face numerous charges in Morgan County, the sheriff’s office said, including attempted murder by extreme indifference.


Source :
Theft suspect in I-76 crash near Wiggins suffers severe burns