A Mancos man accused of 32 criminal charges – including 12 for attempted murder of law enforcement officers – faces a possible lifelong jail sentence if convicted on all counts, according to sentencing parameters.
Casey Dee Larsen, 59, heard the charges and potential penalties during an arraignment April 4.
Charges filed against Larsen by 22nd District Attorney Will Furse include six counts of attempted first-degree murder, six counts of attempted second-degree murder, six counts of menacing, two counts of vehicular assault, six counts of vehicular eluding and six counts of obstructing a peace officer.
If convicted with consecutive sentences, possible jail time ranges from a low of 57 years to a high of 660 years.
Larsen is being held on a $1 million bond for alleged criminal acts during a high-speed chase March 10 that injured two Montezuma County sheriff deputies.
When asked whether he understood the charges and penalties, Larsen responded “as explained” and said he had no questions.
Larsen’s public defender, John Moran, told the court that Larsen is a military veteran with a history of mental illness.
A request for a competency hearing is likely, Moran said. The defense is reaching out to Veterans Affairs for more information on Larsen.
Larsen was charged with attempted first-degree and second-degree murder for each of the six law enforcement officers he allegedly threatened with his vehicle during a 50-mile chase that started on the West Fork of the Dolores River and went through Dolores and Mancos.
As two deputies lay down spike strips on the Colorado Highway 145 bridge in Dolores, Larsen allegedly swerved and forced them to jump off the bridge, causing injury to both officers. A status conference on the case is set for April 18, and a preliminary hearing is scheduled for May 3.
jmimiaga @the-journal.com