Driver Pleads Guilty In Rollover Wreck That Killed Evergreen Teen

GOLDEN, CO – The driver in a rollover wreck that killed an Evergreen teen last year pleaded guilty in Jefferson County District Court on Jan 7.

Daltyn Drake Hollon, 21, entered a guilty plea of reckless driving causing a death connected to the death of 16-year-old Rachel Hern, the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office said.

On Jan. 20, 2018, Hollon told Colorado State Patrol deputies that he, Hern and two other friends were on a trip to Wal­mart on Highway 74 to get some CO2 cartridges for a paintball gun around 7:20 p.m., according to an arrest affidavit. Hollon's 2000 Chevy Cavalier was traveling westbound approaching Divide View Road, when it lost control around a curve and spun 180 degrees. The car slid across the highway, flipped over the center median and crossed into the eastbound lanes continuing to rotate until it hit a concrete barrier.

Hern and another passenger, age 19, were thrown from the backseat and injured. They were transported to a hospital where Hern later died of her injuries. Hollon and the two other passengers received minor injuries in the crash. Alcohol and drugs were not suspected as factors in the accident.

Witnesses told investigators that Hollon had been driving in a "reckless and dangerous manner, at an estimated speed of 65-80 mph.," prosecutors alleged. Witnesses said the Chevrolet Cavalier had "passed aggressively" and cut between their vehicle and a second vehicle, with a very short distance between them, the affidavit said. The driver told police the Cavalier's speed may have been 80 mph. The posted speed limit just before the curve was 40 mph., dropped from 55 mph. on the highway, the arrest affidavit said.

Hern had been a student at Evergreen High School and had attended Wilmot Elementary, Evergreen Middle School and Conifer High School, the Canyon Courier reported. "Our hearts are with the student's family during this very painful time," Evergreen High Principal Brandon Brekke wrote in a letter to parents. "In speaking with the family today, they asked us to remind everyone to drive safely and wear seat belts. We urge you to please utilize caution in your daily travels, especially during the winter months."

Rachel was one of three children of RaeAnn and Don Hern. In a GoFundMe account, set up by family friends, RaeAnn remembered Rachel as a girl with "a heart of gold," the site said. "She made sure to make others feel good and stuck up to all of the bullies in school!"

Hollon is scheduled to appear for sentencing on March 11.

Related: Driver In Rollover Wreck That Killed Teen Appears In Court

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Image via Jefferson County District Attorney's Office

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