Colorado: DPD officer hit by driver: 'I endured ... pure hell'

The man who nearly killed a Denver Police officer with his car during a high-school student protest in December 2014 was sentenced Friday to six years in community corrections.

Christopher Booker pleaded guilty in October to vehicular assault and attempt to influence a public servant. On Friday, a judge said probation was not appropriate in this case and sentenced him to six years in community corrections for vehicular assault and three years for attempt to influence a public servant. Both of these sentences are to be served concurrently, bringing the total sentencing to six years.

Community corrections is essentially a halfway house, meaning not prison or jail.

The judge decided to not sentence Booker to the maximum of six years in prison because he could be released in three years for good behavior.

On Dec. 3, 2014, Booker ran over DPD Officer John Adsit and hurt two other officers during a protest on Colfax Avenue by East High School students.

Court documents show doctors repeatedly told Booker not to drive, because of his history of seizures.

During sentencing on Friday, Booker's friend Nathaniel Reed claimed “If Chris would’ve been told he wasn’t supposed to drive, he would not have driven.”

Booker's attorney Giancarlo Small said during sentencing "we did not see where [the doctors] told him clearly he shouldn't operate a vehicle."

Small said doctors told Booker he could drive just before the wreck.

“The doctors associated the seizures to his withdrawal from drinking.”

Giancarlo Small

"The doctors associated the seizures to his withdrawal from drinking," Small said. "He had no reason to believe he was posing a threat to anyone."

Officer Adsit has not been able to return to work since the crash because he was dragged under Booker's car for several yards. He has had more than a dozen surgeries to fix the damage.

Adsit appeared in court Friday afternoon during Booker's sentencing. Alongside Adsit were his family members and other officers from his unit.

"The morning of Dec. 3, I woke up and got ready for work, kissed my children goodbye," Adsit said during the sentencing. "I had no idea my life as I knew it would be changed forever. The next time I would be able to speak is three weeks later. It would be another three weeks 'til my partner would tell me what happened."

Adsit said, while fighting back tears, that he endured "a month-and-a-half of pure hell" and had to make the decision to "live and not die."

"I know that I'm one of God's miracles," Adsit read from his statement.

He mentioned that some of the more heartbreaking results of the crash is that he can't play basketball with his son. Adsit can't drive. He can't see well anymore. His 9-year-old daughter said she and her siblings have been mentally scarred because Booker "chose to drive that day," Adsit mentioned during the sentencing.

According to investigators, Booker repeatedly lied on his driver's licenseapplication. The application is based on an honor system. Drivers are asked if they have any medical conditions to prevent them from driving safely. Investigators found that Booker repeatedly told the Department of Motor Vehicles that he didn't have any conditions that would interfere with his driving.

Despite all this testimony, Adsit remained merciful.

“Today, I want you to know, I've forgiven you.”

Officer John Adsit

"Today, I want you to know, I've forgiven you," Adsit said in court.

Adsit's partner, Officer Robert Southern, spoke after Adsit.

"He was so mangled at that point, I could not recognize him," Southern said, his voicing breaking. "He was my partner for 10 years [and] he was unrecognizable. As far as I'm concerned, he did die. He was brought back. If Mr. Booker swerved to the left, he wouldn't hit me or children. He was unsafe to operate a vehicle. He knowingly made a choice to drive that day. All I ask you today [is that] you impose the maximum sentence allowed."