A former Durango man with a troubled past was charged Tuesday with attempted murder and assault for attempting to kill his girlfriend by crashing into a traffic-signal pole last month in Boulder.
George Pappas, 51, is being held on $100,000 bail and is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing Nov. 23. Pappas, a former pro skateboarder and snowboarder, lived in Durango during the mid- to late-2000s.
According to an arrest affidavit, Pappas was driving with a woman in the passenger seat about 8:20 a.m. Oct. 12 when he deliberately struck a signal pole at 50 mph. Pappas sustained injuries to his right leg, and the woman walked away with only minor injuries.
The woman, whose name is redacted from the affidavit, told police she and Pappas had been fighting recently. That morning, Pappas reached over without warning, unbuckled her seat belt and started driving erratically before striking the pole in an attempt to “kill them both.” Police reports show she was able to refasten her seat belt before the collision.
Pappas’ sister, Andrea Pappas Merrill, was also interviewed as part of the affidavit. In her testimony, Merrill told police the two were both methamphetamine users with a tumultuous 6½-year relationship. She said they were recently evicted from their home and were living in the car.
As emergency responders extricated Pappas from the vehicle, he continued fighting with the female passenger, but he slowly experienced a decline of consciousness, the affidavit said. He was deemed incapable of making decisions about his medical care because of “paranoia and irrational thought,” the affidavit said.
The passenger told police that a week prior, Pappas attempted a similar stunt.
On Tuesday, a wheelchair-bound Pappas was in court to hear the charges.
Pappas has a long criminal history in Durango. He spent three years in a halfway house for check fraud while operating George’s Hardwood Floors. His criminal history also includes three domestic violence-related arrests, DUIs, trespassing, obstructing police, forgery, drug possession, as well as fraud and harassment.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
