Former Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Kyle Gould pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor charges related to the death of Christian Glass. He was sentenced to two years of unsupervised probation on Nov. 16.
Sally Glass, Christian’s mother, said afterward that the court proceedings would not bring her son back.
“He gets to move on with his life,” Sally said. “We’re just trapped in this pain.”
Gould’s plea deal comes two weeks after former deputy Andrew Buen, who fatally shot Glass, pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
Glass died on the night of June 10-11, 2022, when he was stranded in his car near Silver Plume. He had called 911 for help, saying he was trapped and when officers arrived, they asked Glass to leave his car. He refused in what turned into a long standoff that ended when officers broke Glass’ car window and used a Taser on him. Buen shot Glass five times, killing him, according to an indictment.
Gould was in contact via cell phone with Buen during the encounter, the indictment states. Buen muted his body-worn camera audio during the cell phone conversation, and the conversation was not recorded, according to the indictment.
According to court records, Gould was not on-site at the time but authorized the entry into Glass’ vehicle, which prosecutors say directly led to his death.
The Glass family received a $19-million settlement in the wake of the outcry over their son’s death. Since then, officials in Clear Creek County have promised change, including reforms at the Sheriff’s Office by an interim sheriff — Matthew Harris, whose most recent job was assistant inspector general for investigation with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
In court, Sally clutched a heart-shaped glass-like rock she said symbolized Christian’s “love and compassion” as she told the judge of the untold pain she and her husband Simon have been going through since their son’s death.
“You can stick Mr. Gould in jail, but it’s not going to bring Christian back,” Sally said.
Sally said the rock was one of the rocks Christian was bringing back from Utah when his vehicle got stuck and he called 911.
It was in the vehicle when Christian was shot to death.
“They killed a good kid,” Sally said.
Defense motions in the Buen case are expected by Nov. 27. Judge Catherine Cheroutes wants to know if the defense will request a change of venue in the case. A hearing on any motions filed is set for Dec. 18.