Checkpoint memorializes former Montrose resident

DENVER — A sobriety checkpoint in Longmont was dedicated to the memory of a Montrose couple’s son.

The Colorado Department of Transportation, Colorado State Patrol and Longmont Police Department dedicated the checkpoint in memory of Lee Miller, 28, on Friday night, according to a CDOT news release.

Miller, of Fort Collins, is the son of Buck and Marsha Miller of Montrose. He graduated from Montrose High in 1997, and in 2003 earned a journalism degree from Colorado State University.

Miller died July 3, 2007, when a driver under the influence of prescription drugs plowed into him on South Pratt Avenue in Longmont.

It was just one day after his wedding. The crash occurred as Miller was loading wedding gifts into his car, which was parked outside the home of his in-laws.

“(Friday’s) checkpoint dedication to Lee Miller is a reminder of the horrible consequences of driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol,” Pam Hutton, the governor’s representative for Highway Safety and chief CDOT engineer, said in the news release.

“Lee’s story represents one of 49 Colorado fatalities related to driving under the influence of drugs in 2007.

“It is our hope, and Lee’s family’s hope, that this dedication will make others think twice before getting behind the wheel if they’ve been drinking, using illegal drugs, or even certain drugs prescribed to them by their physician.”

The dedication ceremony was set for 9 p.m. Friday night at the Longmont Police Department. The sobriety checkpoint was to begin at 9:30 p.m.

Miller’s family members and friends planned to hand out flyers about Miller to all drivers at the checkpoint, as a way of reminding them about the lives lost because of impaired driving.

“To know Lee was to love Lee,” Miller’s wife, Katy Conway, said in the news release. “On July 3, 2007, not only was Lee robbed of his future, but Maia (their daughter) and me, and the rest of Lee’s family, were robbed of their future with him.

“If there’s any good that can come from our devastating and tragic loss, it’s the hope that sharing our story will encourage people to make good driving choices.”

Conway said she hoped the DUI checkpoint would remind drivers “that choosing to get behind the wheel of a car while impaired can permanently change the lives of countless others.”