Lemaster Enters Not Guilty Plea in Tour de Fat Crash That Killed One

Van Edward Lemaster, 88, appeared in a Fort Collins courtroom on Thursday, Oct. 22, for his first hearing since the Aug. 29 Tour de Fat crash that killed Joshua Douglass. Lemaster sat beside his attorney and wore a headset to follow the proceeding. Judge Daniel McDonald reviewed the charges with him, and Lemaster said he understood the penalties involved.

Lemaster faces one count of vehicular homicide, four counts of vehicular assault and two counts of reckless endangerment. Judge McDonald told the court that vehicular homicide carries a prison term of two to six years, with a maximum of 12 years if aggravating circumstances are found.

The crash happened on Mountain Avenue in Old Town Fort Collins as the bicycle parade was ending. An arrest affidavit states Lemaster was backing his Chevrolet Silverado out of a parking space when the truck struck another vehicle. Investigators say he then accelerated onto a sidewalk and an outdoor patio where pedestrians had gathered. Douglass later died from his injuries.

The affidavit also records Lemaster telling an officer at the hospital that he had tried to back out several times before he "just gunned it" to leave the space. Vehicle data cited by investigators showed the accelerator was fully depressed as the truck moved forward. Lemaster is scheduled to return to court at 10 a.m. on Dec. 8.