Scott Schneegas, who has been charged in connection with a vehicle crash in downtown Steamboat Springs that caused one man to have his leg amputated, appeared in Routt County Court on Wednesday and was issued a $50,000 cash surety bond by Judge James Garrecht.

Molly Hamsher, Schneegas’ attorney, said Schneegas’ family members live in Steamboat and would ensure he attends his hearings and said he does not pose a threat to the community. Hamsher also suggested Schneegas be required to check in more frequently with his probation officer, who is overseeing him for a series of previous cases. As part of the check-ins, Hamsher argued Schneegas should be required to take frequent and random drug screenings.

“These days, that’s about as close as we can get to pretrial services,” Hamsher said.

Routt County Deputy District Attorney Melinda Carlson said Schneegas has a history of not appearing in court for other cases and poses a threat to the community due to the reckless nature of his alleged crime.

“I don’t believe ordering him to report to probation is appropriate under the circumstances,” Carlson said. “He has repeatedly failed to appear during other matters and was arrested on several failure-to-appear warrants at the same time he was being cited for other matters.”

Attorneys for both Andrew Leedom and Zach Engle, who were hospitalized after the crash, echoed Carlson’s concerns.

Steamboat Springs Police Department officers, who responded to the May 6 crash, allege Schneegas, 26, was driving a vehicle westbound down Lincoln Avenue when he drove into vehicles parked on the side of the road. Leedom and Engle were standing nearby and were struck by two of the parked vehicles due to the impact.

Both were transferred to UCHealth Yampa Valley Medical Center. Engle sustained minor injuries to his arm, but Leedom had two broken legs, one of which had to later be amputated, according to an affidavit filed in Routt County Court.

Officers also conducted an alcohol breathalyzer exam on Schneegas, which showed he did not have alcohol in his system. He did, however, admit to smoking marijuana earlier in the day, and officers found three marijuana pipes in the car, one of which was half smoked and sitting on the driver’s side of the vehicle, according to the affidavit.

Officers arrested Schneegas on one felony count of vehicular assault and three misdemeanors, including third-degree assault, reckless driving and driving on a revoked license.

To reach Alison Berg, call 970-871-4229 or email aberg@SteamboatPilot.com.