Pueblo man pleads guilty to manslaughter charges in connection to 2021 hit-and-run

Justin Reutter, The Pueblo Chieftain
·1 min read
The Dennis Maes Judicial Building is located at 501 Elizabeth Street.

A Pueblo man has pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter charges for causing the death of a motorcyclist in a 2021 crash.

Nicholas Chavez-Lucero — who was initially charged with vehicular homicide in connection to the July 2021 death of Steven Clason — will be sentenced in July after he reached a plea agreement last month with the Pueblo district attorney's office.

In exchange for pleading guilty to one count of reckless manslaughter, all other charges against Chavez-Lucero, including careless driving resulting in injury and leaving the scene of a crash that resulted in significant bodily injury, were dropped.

Under Colorado sentencing guidelines, he could be sentenced to between two and six years in prison, and will be required to pay restitution to Clason’s family.

More: Pueblo man faces homicide charges following crash victim's death in hospital

Traffic camera footage from July 18, 2021, showed Clason going through a green light on his motorcycle as he traveled east on Northern Avenue when a maroon SUV driven by Chavez-Lucero turned left in front of him and collided with him.

Clason was thrown from his motorcycle by the impact. The driver of the SUV continued on to Prairie Avenue without stopping, running over the motorcyclist in the process, Pueblo police officers previously testified.

Police later located Chavez-Lucero and the vehicle in the 1700 block of Brimmer Avenue.

Clason died at a local hospital on Aug. 2, 2021. He was 36.

Chavez-Lucero will be sentenced on July 1.

Questions, comments, or story tips? Contact Justin at Jreutterma@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter @jayreutter1.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Pueblo man faces up to 6 years in prison for deadly 2021 hit-and-run