Judge drops criminal charges against gambling officials in connection with death of Christian Glass

A judge this week dismissed charges against two state gaming officials charged in the shooting death of Christian Glass in Clear Creek County, a court document said.

In June 2022, Glass called 911 for help after he crashed his car into some rocks in Silver Plume in Clear Creek County. When officers responded, they began arguing with Glass and tried to get him to get out of his car. Glass said he was scared and appeared to be having a mental seizure.

Glass told officers at the scene that he had geology equipment in the car, including a knife and a hammer, and offered to throw the weapons out the window. The officers told him not to do that and to leave her in the car.

Replacement officers from various agencies arrived, including Colorado Division of Gaming officers Christa Lloyd and Mary Harris.

Finally, after about 70 minutes of back and forth and escalation, Deputy Andrew Buen shot Glass, who was holding his knife in his vehicle.

Buen was ultimately charged with second-degree murder and reckless endangerment. He was convicted of the latter charge, but the second-degree murder charge resulted in a mistrial. Another trial for him is planned for 2025.

Other officers from the Georgetown and Idaho Springs police departments and the Colorado State Patrol on scene were charged with failure to intervene, as were Lloyd and Harris.

Failure to intervene is a misdemeanor charge and a result of the 2020 police reform law passed by the state legislature that seeks to hold officers accountable for the conduct of their colleagues at the scene.

However, buried in part of this law is a description of the authorities who can be held accountable for their failure to intervene. The state gaming department is not listed.

A lawyer representing Lloyd asked a judge in August to drop charges against her, citing that connection.

Clear Creek County District Attorney Heidi McCollum said after seeking advice from the attorney general’s office, she decided to admit that, given the gambling division’s omission from state law, they did not believe they would be successful in prosecuting the offense would .

“It baffles me that two equally trained officers have different legal obligations under Colorado state law, particularly when it comes to the use of force,” McCollum said. “I am baffled as to why the Legislature would allow similarly trained officers certified to peace officer standards and training not to have to stand up and attempt to intervene when another officer uses excessive force.”

The other officers have court dates in 2025 for the charge, which is a misdemeanor, but a judge dismissed the charges against the gambling officials after their lawyers filed a motion in November.

Both Lloyd and Harris remain listed as certified officers in the state’s Peace Officer Standards and Training database.