Cortez Woman Charged With Vehicular Homicide After Drunk Driving Crash Kills Motorcyclist

One minute separated a citizen's warning call and a motorcyclist's death at the intersection of Hawkins Street and East Main Street in Cortez.

At approximately 4:00 p.m. on March 24, a Cortez Police Department dispatcher received a REDDI (Report Every Drunk Driver Immediately) report about a black Dodge Ram 1500 whose occupants were reported intoxicated after leaving the Dairy Queen on East Main Street. Before officers could intercept the vehicle, 911 calls began flooding in about a vehicle-versus-motorcycle crash at that same stretch of road. Arriving officers found the male victim already on the ground with CPR in progress.

Cortez Police identified the driver of the Ram as Shandine H. John, 33, who was arrested at the scene and transported to the Montezuma County Jail on a felony hold. She faces five charges: Vehicular Homicide (ETOH/Drugs), Careless Driving Causing Death, DUI, DUI Per Se, and Driving While License Revoked under Express Consent. The victim's name has been withheld pending notification of his extended family.

The crash fits a worsening statewide pattern. According to the Colorado Department of Transportation, 2024 was the deadliest year on record for motorcyclists in Colorado, with 165 riders killed. That figure represents a 57% increase since 2015 and a 23% jump over 2023 alone. Despite making up just 3% of registered vehicles in Colorado, motorcyclists accounted for roughly 24% of all traffic fatalities that year. CDOT data shows 20% of those deaths involved impairment, and Colorado State Patrol has identified speed and intoxication as the two highest contributing factors in motorcycle crashes statewide.

Impaired driving deaths are not confined to motorcycles. Early CDOT data shows that 234 traffic deaths across Colorado in 2025 involved an impaired driver, representing approximately 34% of all traffic fatalities, up from 203 impairment-involved deaths in 2024.

The Cortez Police Department is continuing to investigate the fatal collision. The REDDI program, which allows members of the public to report suspected drunk drivers directly to law enforcement, worked exactly as intended on March 24; the crash happened too fast for that warning to save a life.