Four years for UCCS cop's killer

A motorist who struck and killed a popular University of Colorado at Colorado Springs police officer while he was riding his motorcycle off-duty was sentenced Thursday to four years in prison.

The plea bargain in which Mark Vigil, 35, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide was cold comfort to the family and friends of Craig Highline, who was 52 when he died.

More than 20 supporters, including uniformed UCCS officers, crowded into the courtroom of Judge Gregory Werner to witness Vigil's sentencing.

"Our dream of growing old in rocking chairs is gone," Highline's wife, Jeanne, told the court. "I will never again wake up with him and meet the sunshine. He loved many people, and many people loved him."

UCCS officials have said Highline was a popular campus officer nicknamed "Huggy Bear" by students who appreciated his gregarious nature.

Highline was stopped at the intersection at Bradley Road and Grinnell Boulevard on the evening of Oct. 16, when Vigil's Mercury Mystique struck him from behind. Highline, who was wearing a helmet, was tossed from the motorcycle, which slid almost 60 feet.

The force of the collision inflated the air bags and broke the windshield of Vigil's car.

A woman with Vigil later told state troopers the two were drinking that night. After the accident, Nastasha Pomele said Vigil stopped the car long enough for her to check on Highline, then the two drove off north on Grinnell.

Vigil was arrested the next day outside the El Paso County Criminal Justice Center, where he said he was going to turn himself in.

Vigil pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of alcohol in February 2007 in Cheyenne, Wyo., according to Wyoming court records. He is on probation in that case until March 21. He was not charged with driving under the influence in the Highline case.

Vigil told the judge Thursday, "unfortunately, it was an accident. I apologize. ... I'm sorry."

Highline's mother, Rone Heath, of Pueblo, said after the hearing, "it's been a terrible loss for us, and I can't quite believe he's gone."

She said Highline, an only child, took on manly responsibilities early when his father died young - and continued to care for those around him. She said he was at her house helping with some chores the day before he died.

"I painted a red heart where he stood (in the driveway) the last time, and I go out at night and stare at the stars," she said.

In addition to his wife and mother, Highline is survived by two children, a stepson and two grandchildren.