Cañon City man sentenced to prison in vehicular homicide of 1-year-old son

CAÑON CITY — A man accused of running over his young son in a horrific vehicular homicide incident was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison.

Isaac Bullard, 39, pleaded guilty in October to the vehicular homicide of his 1-year-old son Jesse James Bullard at his Cañon City home Jan. 23, 2020, in the 1000 block of Natalie; and illegal extraction of marijuana concentrate in connection with a hash oil extraction lab found inside the home during a subsequent investigation.

Jesse was just shy of his second birthday at the time of the incident.

The boy’s mother, Tamlin Oliver, of Texas, told Fremont County District Court Judge Lynette Wenner earlier this month that she learned of her son’s death over the phone when Bullard called her to report it. Bullard was exercising his right to his court-ordered two week visitation with Jesse when the incident happened.

It was only the second visitation Jesse had with his father in Colorado. Jesse had come home with leg and head injuries after his first visit to Colorado, said Stephen Hames, Oliver’s new husband.

“There has to be a justice — no more slaps on the hand,” Hames said.

More:Cañon City mother pushes for maximum sentence in death of her 1-year-old son

“The family would like to see for him to get the full sentence,” said Dwayne Oliver, Jesse’s grandfather. “He knew he was bringing him to (Colorado to) a grow facility.”

“Isaac (Bullard) decided to leave his whole entire family to go to Colorado. That was his choice to put Jesse in harm’s way,” said Amy Oliver, Jesse’s grandmother

“I want him to sit in prison,” Amy Oliver said.

“I have got to live with what he’s done to my son everyday,” Tamlin Oliver said Wednesday. “It was my mistake thinking he would put Jesse first."

She talked about the conditions that her son was living in at the mobile home where Jesse was sleeping in a cardboard box inside a home filled with marijuana plants.

“My son was living in a box — it was disgusting. He should have to spend the rest of his life in prison,” she said.

Colorado Bureau of Investigation Toxicology Program Manager Vanessa Beall of Denver testified THC from marijuana impairs driving ability, mainly because it causes divided attention. A THC level of 5 nanograms per milliliter is the legal limit in the state and Bullard had a concentration of 6.4 nanograms per milliliter of THC according to a blood test analysis, Beall testified.

Neighbor Amy Stephens said it was her video camera that captured the crime.

“I have witnessed him (Jesse) on the porch in a high chair with no one else around. I witnessed him outside playing by himself,” Stephens said. “This has affected me really bad. Time and time again we have seen this video — seen him run over this little boy.

"This is something that will never go away."

Bullard’s sister Mandy Pool told the judge that Jesse was the light of of her brother’s life.

“There was no doubt the accident was the most terrible imaginable. The fact that Isaac made a terrible decision that day,” had a lot to do with drug addiction and mental health issues, Pool said.

“I know in my heart it was not an intentional decision. This accident has brought Isaac to see where he needs to go,” Pool said.

Bullard exhibited, “probably the most rawest emotions I have ever seen in the 12 years as a therapist,” said Caitlyn Syner, who said she treated Bullard at a hospital when he became suicidal. “I ask that he have an opportunity to remedy his wrongs.”

Bullard’s mother Mari Bullard told the judge, “I do believe he has sincere remorse for his mistakes and he accepts responsibility for his actions. Losing my precious grandson and seeing the pain my son has endured since that day has been the most tragic thing in my life — this was a horrible accident that killed my grandson.”

Prior to hearing his sentence, Bullard told the judge he was sorry.

“I loved that boy so much — he was my best friend,” Bullard said. “In my dreams I feel him and when I wake up I come to the realization that he is gone and I just break down.”

“The fact that it was my fault kills me every day,” Bullard said. “I just hope everybody can forgive me, that someday I can forgive myself.”

More:Man admits to vehicular homicide of his 1-year-old son

Deputy District Attorney Jeff Lindsey pushed for the maximum eight year sentence allowed by the plea agreement, telling the judge, Bullard "did not protect his child. When you don’t do your job as a parent, you act intentionally — this case was not an accident.”

Lindsey showed a photo and told the judge that Jesse’s head had been run over by the left rear tire of the pickup truck, a 2016 Ford Silverado. The front tire then ran over his torso.

“He is in the driveway dead,” Lindsey said. “He wasn’t where he should have been — he should have been protected by his father.”

“He is careful to put the dogs in the car but not his child. That is not an accident but a slow moving tragedy,” Lindsey said, showing the judge pictures of the home where a marijuana pipe, marijuana, marijuana plants and guns were prevalent.

Lindsey showed the judge the video of the incident captured by the neighbor’s camera.

“This offense does not get any more serious,” Lindsey said.

Bullard’s Attorney Doug Richards of Denver argued for a probation sentence saying Bullard has accepted a new job with Pathfinder’s Recovery Center in Lakewood. He said allegations that Jesse had been left unattended at the home and that Jesse had been injured during his first stay in Colorado with Bullard were “untrue.”

“The public can empathize with Isaac (Bullard). Tragically 50 children are backed over every week,” nationally, Richards said.

“He must live with his grief and sadness for the rest of his life. It is a life sentence to a mental prison,” Richard argued.

Richards showed the judge body-cam footage from police officers who responded to the fire department where Bullard had brought Jesse’s body following the accident.

In sentencing Bullard to six years on the marijuana extraction charge and six years on the vehicular homicide charge, the judge said the sentences will be served at the same time as called for by the plea agreement.

“It is quite obvious both sides of the family have suffered tragic loss. But I cannot overlook the fact that you killed a child with the choices you’ve made,” Wenner said.

“I can’t imagine the grief you are suffering. I wish that you will be able to manage the pain on both sides,” of the family, Wenner said.

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business and Fremont County news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via Twitter at twitter.com/tracywumps.