John Denver might not have asked for special treatment when police pulled him over in Aspen, Colorado, but his court sentence showed that he got some anyway. On September 26, 1993, the singer behind hits like “Thank God I’m a Country Boy” went to court two days earlier than the court originally scheduled, which “wasn’t unusual,” according to Deputy District Attorney Lawson Wills.
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But as anyone who has ever received a DUI can attest, Denver’s sentencing was out of the ordinary. In hindsight, it also seemed like a tragic foreshadowing of the illegal incident that would take Denver’s life four years later.
John Denver Received a Fairly Light Court Sentence in 1993
In the early morning hours of August 24, 1993, police in Aspen, Colorado, pulled over a Porsche they noticed weaving in the road. The driver turned out to be John Denver, iconic songwriter of “Take Me Home, Country Roads” and “Sunshine On My Shoulders”. Denver told police he drank two glasses of wine while having dinner with friends. After failing a roadside sobriety test, Denver took a breathalyzer test and registered at .14 percent. The Colorado legal limit is .10 percent.
Police said Denver didn’t expect any special treatment and was cooperative with their requests. Still, Denver’s blood alcohol level meant that the police booked him down at the station. The songwriter had a court date for September 28 but requested the court move it up to September 26. That day, the Los Angeles Times reported that prosecutors allowed Denver to plead guilty to driving while his ability was impaired, which was a lesser charge than full-on driving under the influence.
His sentencing included a $50 fine, a mandatory alcohol-abuse evaluation, and 28 hours of public service, which included a court-sanctioned benefit concert. Denver performed at the Tipsy Taxi Benefit Concert at the Wheeler Opera House in Aspen. Tipsy Taxi is a drunk driving prevention program that offers free ride vouchers to intoxicated individuals, which are carried and distributed by police and bartenders.
Tragedy Struck Only a Few Years Later
Almost one year to the day that police arrested John Denver for impaired driving, the songwriter got back behind the wheel while intoxicated. The 1994 incident proved even more disastrous, as Denver, who was still on probation from his previous offense, crashed his car into a tree. Denver’s trial ended with a hung jury, although the court went ahead and suspended his flying license. Three years later, he was illegally operating a vehicle once again when he got into another crash. Except this time, he wasn’t able to walk away from the scene.
On October 12, 1997, Denver was illegally flying an experimental aircraft near Pacific Grove, California, when he crashed into the Pacific Ocean. The particular model of plane Denver was flying had a fuel switch that was difficult to reach from the cockpit, and this lack of fuel is presumably what caused the crash. Denver was the sole passenger and only victim of the plane crash. He was 53 years old.
Photo by: Fred Sabine/NBC via Getty Images
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