Community pays tribute to fallen parole officer Christine Guerin Sandoval during procession
Cars lined a stretch of U.S. 85/87 Tuesday afternoon to say farewell to fallen parole Officer Christine Guerin Sandoval as a procession led by the Colorado State Patrol escorted her body from the El Paso County Coroner’s Office in Colorado Springs to Pueblo, where she lived.
Guerin Sandoval died in the line of duty Thursday after being fatally struck by a fleeing suspect’s vehicle, according to authorities. The suspected assailant is now under arrest and facing charges of manslaughter, leaving the scene of an accident resulting in death and third-degree assault on a peace officer.
“My heart goes out to the families of the officers, because they put up with a lot, and it’s hard on them. I’m here to show that support,” said Diane Doremus, whose mother, Donna Cunningham, served alongside Guerin Sandoval before her death in 2022. She offered a salute as the hearse drove by.
The procession stirred up various emotions in the line of onlookers: pride to have known such a devoted public servant, anger at the circumstances surrounding their gathering, sadness for the loved ones whom she leaves behind. As they watched the passing motorcade, friends Tanya Charbonneau and Chrissy Ostebi embraced with a hug, Charbonneau wiping tears from her eyes.
“Without even thinking about it, they just run into it while everybody else is running away. They run into it,” Charbonneau said. Her husband is a law enforcement veteran of 25 years, having worked for the Department of Corrections, Sheriff’s Office and most recently a local school district. “God forbid if anything would happen to my husband, I would want people to be here supporting me as well.”
In contrast to her friend’s tears, Ostebi expressed frustration at the climate surrounding law enforcement today. She was quick to accept Charbonneau’s invitation to join her for the event.
“There was never a second thought about it, because nowadays, the way people are against our law enforcement and our first responders, they need to be shown that they’re supported no matter what. They are people also. They have families they go home to. They have their kids, their mothers, their father, their brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, some of them even their grandparents,” Ostebi said.
The two didn’t know Guerin Sandoval well, but they said they had the pleasure of crossing her path on a number of occasions. Ostebi had even hosted the parole officer at her house and remembers her love for animals and down-to-earth demeanor. Ostebi and her husband were on vacation when they saw her picture in the news.
Guerin Sandoval is remembered as a bubbly personality who had a seemingly permanent smile affixed to her face.
The wife and mother was fair, firm when she needed to be and “happy-go-lucky no matter what,” according to Doremus.
Among her fondest memories of the officer, Doremus recalls an incident in which a drunken driver followed her mother home from a late-night shift. She called for help, and Guerin Sandoval arrived in support.
“It was pretty neat, two ladies taking on a drunk guy,” Doremus said, having watched the events unfold from her bedroom window. “She was an awesome lady. Can’t word it any better. Awesome lady.”
A GoFundMe launched Saturday had raised more than $12,000 as of Tuesday evening. The money will go to Guerin Sandoval’s family, according to page organizer Bethany Solano.
“Christine had a heart of gold and smile that would light up the darkest room,” Solano said on the page. “She was always thinking of other people and now it is our turn to help her beautiful family.”
Tanya Charbonneau holds a “Thin Blue Line” flag as the body of parole Officer Christine Guerin Sandoval is escorted from the El Paso County Coroner’s Office in Colorado Springs to Pueblo on Tuesday. The procession passed a line of citizens and first responders, who came out to pay their respects by lining the route on U.S. 85/87. Sandoval was killed in the line of duty Thursday night. Pueblo was where she lived.
Citizens and first responders line the procession route as the body of parole Officer Christine Guerin Sandoval is escorted from Colorado Springs to Pueblo on Tuesday.
Christine Guerin Sandoval
Colorado Springs Police Department