Leniency calls grow for trucker sentenced in Colorado crash

DENVER (AP) — An online petition has gathered millions of signatures calling for leniency for a 26-year-old truck driver who was sentenced to 110 years in prison for causing a crash that killed four people in Colorado. More than 4.5 million people have signed the change.org petition urging Gov. Jared Polis to grant clemency or commute Rogel Aguilera-Mederos’ sentence. Aguilera-Mederos was convicted of vehicular homicide and other charges in the 2019 wreck. He testified his semitrailer’s brakes failed as he descended a steep grade. Prosecutors argued he could have used a runaway ramp alongside Interstate 70. The Denver Gazette reports Polis’ office would welcome an application. That would have to wait until an appeal is considered in court.