A woman faces multiple felony charges after a crash Tuesday afternoon in Cortez that left a motorcyclist dead, according to law enforcement.
Police said they arrested Shandine H. John, 33, after the collision at Hawkins Street and East Main Street. Officers responded around 4 p.m. to the intersection after several 911 calls reporting the crash.
Cortez Police Department officers responded to reports of a vehicle-versus-motorcycle crash. A male victim was found on the ground, and bystanders had started CPR. The victim’s name has not yet been released pending notification of extended family members.
Just moments before the crash, dispatchers received a REDDI report, which stands for Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately, involving a black Dodge Ram 1500 seen leaving the Dairy Queen on East Main Street. Callers reported the truck’s occupants appeared drunk.
Officers reported significant damage to both the pickup and the motorcycle, which was found on its side near the truck.
According to the arrest affidavit, John gave conflicting statements about driving before later telling officers, “It was me.” She also told police she had consumed “three, no, four beers” about an hour before the crash.
“At this time, based on my observations of Shandine and the statements made to me during my initial interview, I placed Shandine under arrest,” officer Jacob Bourdon, the first on the scene, wrote in the affidavit.
Witnesses at the crash scene gave mixed accounts about who was driving.
One bystander reported seeing John in the driver’s seat. Three unidentified witnesses told police they were unsure who had been driving but reported seeing a male leave the truck with a blond woman after the crash. Witnesses said a blond female allegedly told them, “I wasn’t even driving so I am leaving.”
Investigators later determined there was no male in the truck, a conclusion John later affirmed to police.
Investigators also determined the female passenger, whose identity remains unknown, left the scene before officers arrived, according to the affidavit. A new witness later told detectives he was a Destination Grill worker who heard the crash and immediately went to provide assistance. He later identified John as the driver of the truck.
At the Cortez Police Department, a breath test administered about 5 p.m. showed John’s blood alcohol content was 0.285, according to the affidavit.
John was later transported to Southwest Memorial Hospital for a blood draw before being booked into the Montezuma County Detention Center and left in the care of jail staff.
She is charged with vehicular homicide and misdemeanor counts of DUI, careless driving causing death, driving with a blood alcohol content of 0.08% or more and driving while license revoked under express consent.
Bond has been set at $200,000 cash or surety. John is scheduled for a court appearance April 7 at 9:30 a.m. in Montezuma Combined Courts before District Judge Ian MacLaren.
Court records show John is also facing a prior DUI charge stemming from a March 23, 2025, arrest by the same officer.
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