A Moffat County judge reduced the bond amount, slightly, for a man accused of stealing fuel from a Craig gas station in December and fleeing from police in a pursuit that resulted in injuries to multiple officers and extensive damage to their vehicles.

The incident occurred on the morning of Dec. 26 after Craig police were dispatched to a Maverik gas station on Victory Way in response to a reported fuel theft.

According to the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office, a Craig officer attempted to stop the suspect’s vehicle, a large white Ford pickup truck driven by Geomar Gomez-Hernandez, 35, but it failed to yield.

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Deputies then pursued the pickup truck and performed multiple “high-risk traffic stops” as the vehicle attempted to flee and rammed multiple sheriff’s office vehicles.

The pursuing deputies eventually arrested Gomez-Hernandez just after noon when they were able force the vehicle to a stop on Colorado Highway 13 near mile marker 119, according to a news statement. The area where the arrest occurred is roughly 40 minutes north of Craig and just south of Baggs, Wyoming.

During the arrest, two sheriff’s deputies sustained minor injuries but were released from medical care later in the day, according to the sheriff’s office. Gomez-Hernandez was arrested and charged with five Class 4 felonies, a Class 3 felony and a string of misdemeanors.

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Bond for Gomez-Hernandez was initially set at $200,000. On Thursday, Judge James Hesson lowered the amount to $150,000 after Public Defender Abby Kurtz-Phelan requested the bond be set closer to $40,000.

The public defender stated the amount was “still a significant amount of money for Class 4 felony charges,” adding that Gomez-Hernandez has lived in Denver for almost eight years and worked as a mechanic prior to his arrest.

“He is hoping to post, still a very significant amount of money for him and his family, so that he may deal with this case and also be able to live with his family in Denver and continue working,” said Kurtz-Phelan.

Deputy District Attorney Zach Rosen rejected the public defender’s argument.

“The defendant was charged with five separate counts of Class 4 felonies, one count of a Class 3 felony and a list of misdemeanors following that,” said Rosen. “While the class of the charges is an appropriate consideration of what to set for bond, it’s not set based on the potential penalty for the charges we are looking at.”

Rosen noted the actions of Gomez-Hernandez caused injury to multiple officers and significant damage to police vehicles and that he posed a “considerable danger to the community at-large.”

“The defendant is charged with assaulting two police officers … and doing that is outrageous conduct, especially when he used a very large, very heavy vehicle as a dangerous weapon,” said Rosen.

The deputy district attorney said information also suggests the defendant has attempted to evade arrest in the past, adding, “the people are under the impression that the defendant obtained this truck by breaking into a police officer impound lot in Nebraska and then driving it here to Craig.”

Rosen also said an ongoing investigation indicated to prosecutors that if the bond was lowered to $40,000 it would be paid, “not by defendant by himself, but by many other people that he is connected to.”

“The bond is set at a high amount, but it is an appropriate amount. Even $40,000 is a high bond for one person, but in truth, what we are talking about in this crime is not a crime of one person and he will be bonded out if bond is lowered,” he said.

One of the officers injured during the pursuit, Patrol Deputy Wyatt Johnson, addressed the court Thursday to urge the judge not to lower the bond amount for Gomez-Hernandez.

“I believe the bond should stay the same due to the fact of the severity of the crimes, the damage to the vehicles and obviously the injuries to myself (and the other officer),” said Johnson. “I have never been placed at a level of fear that I had during this interaction with this individual.”

In reaching his decision to adjust the bond to $150,000, Judge Hesson said he was, “understating it a little bit when I say the conduct in alleged in this case is extremely dangerous conduct,” adding that Gomez-Hernandez “unquestionably presents a flight risk to the court.”

The judge noted that Gomez-Hernandez’s initial bond amount was set because he was charged with Class 3 felonies, but those charges were adjusted to the lesser Class 4 felonies.

“It is fair to say that that consideration has changed,” said Hesson. “Therefore, the court should reconsider the amount of bond under these circumstances,” adding that a high bond in the amount of $150,000 was “still appropriate.”

Gomez-Hernandez will appear in court again Jan. 23.