Trent Umberger,Nathan Jones Obituary, Death; – A man has been taken into custody for suspected impaired driving, three months following an incident that resulted in the deaths of three individuals, including two employees of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), in Mesa County. The incident occurred at approximately 10:40 a.m. on September 4, on westbound Highway 6 near milepost 40.
As reported by the Colorado State Patrol (CSP), a CDOT vehicle, specifically a Ford F-450, was stationed off the right side of the roadway with its lights and sign board activated. Two CDOT employees, who were wearing safety vests, were positioned behind the truck to remove a sign from the bed.
CSP indicated that a Jeep Grand Cherokee traveling westbound on Highway 6 veered off the right side of the road, colliding with the CDOT employees and subsequently crashing into the rear of the Ford F-450. The two CDOT employees were declared dead at the scene and were later identified as Trent Umberger, 43, and Nathan Jones, 23, both residents of Grand Junction.
Additionally, the passenger in the Jeep Grand Cherokee was also pronounced dead at the scene, identified as Kathi Ann Wallace of Grand Junction. The driver of the Jeep, Patrick James Sneddon, 59, was arrested on Wednesday and booked into the Mesa County Jail on multiple charges, including:
Three counts of vehicular homicide while driving under the influence
Two counts of failure to yield the right of way to a stationary public service utility vehicle resulting in death
Failure to maintain a single lane (weaving)
Driving while under the influence
