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Driver faces vehicular homicide charge

Steve Lynn
Vail CO, Colorado
Special to the DailyJames Martin Hatfield
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GYPSUM ” A man accused of speeding while driving drunk, and causing the crash that killed 24-year-old Justin Schuyler Bobson, has been arrested more than a month later, authorities said.

Bobson, of Gypsum, was thrown from a Chevrolet Silverado pickup driven by James Martin Hatfield, 36, of Gypsum, as the men headed down Gypsum Creek Road on Sept. 17, the Colorado State Patrol said.

Hatfield drove around a curve too quickly and the pickup went off the left edge of the road and rolled 1 1/4 times, the State Patrol said. Bobson was found dead at the crash, the State Patrol said.



Hatfield was arrested and charged with vehicular homicide, careless driving causing death and driving under the influence of alcohol Tuesday afternoon, authorities said. Hatfield posted a $25,000 bond and was released from Eagle County jail the same afternoon, authorities said.

Hatfield and passenger Jeremy Todd Marner, of Gypsum, said they got lost while looking for help after the rollover, which occurred at about 2:30 a.m., Simons said. Hatfield and Marner said they tried calling 911 on their cell phones, which did not get service, Simons said.

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Hatfield and Marner later found an off-duty Colorado State trooper on a hunting trip who was sleeping at a campsite and asked for help, Simons said. The trooper drove out of the backcountry until he got cell phone service and called 911 at 5:24 a.m., Simons said.

Sharon Bobson, Justin Bobson’s mother, has described her son as a “wonderful child” who had a passion for racing motorcycles, which he started doing when he was 12. He was a very happy person with a wonderful sense of humor, she said.

Bobson graduated from Eagle Valley High School in 2001. He had been working as a sales manager at Cooley Mesa Detailing, she said.

Hatfield broke several bones in the crash and was taken to Valley View Hospital in Glenwood Springs, the State Patrol said.

Simons declined to comment on Hatfield’s blood alcohol content test, which measures whether a driver has exceeded the legal limit of .08.

Jeremy Todd Marner, a passenger, was released at the crash scene with minor injuries, the State Patrol said.

None of the men were wearing seat belts, the State Patrol said.

Attempts to reach Hatfield were unsuccessful Wednesday afternoon and jail records did not say whether he had an attorney, said Sara Cross, spokeswoman for the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office.

Hatfield is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 13.

Staff Writer Steve Lynn can be reached at 748-2931 or slynn@vaildaily.com.


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