Man sentenced for driving Bobcat over ex

Man sentenced for driving Bobcat over ex-girlfriends car

July 21, 2001

by Aspen C. Emmett
Journal Staff Writer

Last winter, when Ricky Chaffen became upset with his then-girlfriend, Carla Tucker, he allegedly expressed his anger by firing up his Bobcat and running over Tucker’s 1979 Lincoln car.

There was no one in the car at the time.

According to a police report, Chaffen also repeatedly used profane language toward Tucker and allegedly grabbed her by the throat.

When police responded to the scene, Chaffen was removing Tucker’s belongings from the couple’s property and the Bobcat was still running.

Chaffen reportedly admitted to smashing Tucker’s car, saying "big ------- deal."

According to the report, the car was badly damaged and it appeared as though the Bobcat had been driven over it.

There were pieces of the car in and near the bucket of the Bobcat and the roof of the car was caved in. The sides of the car also had visible "teeth" marks from the bucket of the Bobcat.

Tucker told police she was not hurt when Chaffen grabbed her throat.

Originally, Chaffen, 37, of Cortez, faced misdemeanor charges of criminal mischief, harassment and domestic violence for the Nov. 1, 2000, incident.

However, charges were amended to Class 4 felony criminal mischief after damages were thought to be greater than $500.

The case was bound over from Montezuma County Court to district court, where Chaffen entered a plea agreement to one count of Class 2 misdemeanor criminal mischief.

"This is an important situation where he needed to be held accountable," said deputy District Attorney Brian Rossiter at Chaffen’s sentencing hearing Thursday.

Chaffen’s defense attorney, Kent Williamson, dismissed Rossiter’s claim that the destruction of the car was a serious offense, saying the car wasn’t valuable enough.

"It wasn’t even operating," Williamson told the court.

But Tucker, who was in the courtroom, disagreed emphatically, shaking her head.

Presiding District Court Judge Robert Behrman fined Chaffen $150 and sentenced him to six months of probation.

A six-month jail sentence was suspended and a restitution hearing on the car’s damages was set for a future date.

"If you screw up, I’ll encourage you in another way," Behrman said while shaking his finger at Chaffen.

"I’ll sentence you to six months in jail — you got that?"

The defendant merely nodded in response.