People at TCU are sad about the death of a 19-year-old student who died last week in an ATV accident in Colorado. Officials say that another TCU student was taken in connection with the crash that killed one.
Officials from TCU and the police say that Giles Anthony Pond died after the crash at a ranch on Stevens Lake Road in Archuleta County in the southwestern part of Colorado on June 11. Archuleta County Undersheriff Robert Hill told the Pagosa Springs Sun that the accident happened between midnight and one a.m.
Hill said that the accident involved a four-seater ATV. Several charges were brought against Austin James Brown, 20, of Beaumont, Texas. These include driving while impaired, vehicular homicide-DUI, criminally negligent homicide, reckless manslaughter, underage alcohol possession and consumption, and prohibited use of a weapon, Hill told the Pagosa Springs Sun.
A TCU representative told the Star-Telegram that Brown is also a student there.
Pond was a business student at TCU’s Neeley School of Business. He was a rising junior from Houston. Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Kathryn Cavins-Tull told the school community in an email on Monday morning, June 16, that he was an active member of the fraternity Sigma Alpha Epsilon and had been a part of the Sherley Hall community as a first-year student at the university in Fort Worth.
One of our Horned Frog kids died, and it makes us sad, a TCU spokesperson told the Star-Telegram. “Our deepest condolences go out to their family and friends.” Please pray for those who have been touched by this terrible event.
Thoughts on Giles Pond
Every year, people on the TCU campus hold a vigil to celebrate and remember those who have died. Cavins-Tull said in the email that the vigil for Pond will have to wait until the fall, when the students return. More information will be available in August.
“Please look after yourself and others, and keep Pond’s family in your thoughts and prayers. His sister Belicia is also a Horned Frog,” Cavins-Tull wrote.
His tribute said that Pond was a son, brother, and friend who was loved and cherished.
“Giles made every room happy and full of life.” “His faith and love of working out were well known, as were his smile and laughter, and the way he made people feel seen and included. “But most importantly, he had an unbreakable bond with his brothers and sisters. They were so close and loved each other so much that it was hard to describe.”
A death notice says that he is survived by his parents, Marlo and David Pond, and his brothers, Pilar, Corbin, and Belicia.
The obituary says, “He loved his friends very much and had an easy way of connecting with everyone.” “Giles was a deeply committed and passionate person in every part of his life.”
Thursday and Friday in Houston, there will be a wake and funeral.
The Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office hasn’t said how many people were hurt in the crash or what happened that led to the arrest.
Jail records show that Brown was freed on bond. There is no indication that he has hired a lawyer to defend him in the case.
There has been no answer yet to the records request that the Star-Telegram made on Thursday in order to get more information.
The first time this story was posted was on June 16, 2025, at 8:52 PM.
