The Mesa County man accused of killing three people, including two Colorado Department of Transportation workers, in a car accident last fall pleaded guilty Tuesday.
Patrick Sneddon, 59, pleaded guilty to four charges, including three counts of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence and a fourth count related to failing to exercise caution when approaching a stationary service vehicle. Sneddon was said to have had marijuana in his system at the time of the crash.
CDOT employees Nathan Jones, 23 and Trenton Umberger, 43, were killed on September 4, 2024 when Sneddon, who was driving on Highway 6 near Palisade, struck them as well as their CDOT vehicle. Kathi Wallace, a 67-year-old passenger in Sneddon’s vehicle, also died in the crash.
Sneddon, who has been in custody at the Mesa County jail since his arrest, did not speak at the plea hearing except to answer questions from 21st Judicial District Judge Jeremy Chaffin.
The plea agreement recommended a Department of Corrections sentencing range between 4 and 30 years. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 9.
