CASPER, Wyo. — Three Natrona County residents got jail terms in Platte County last week after allegedly leading the Wyoming Highway Patrol on a chase in a reported stolen vehicle, according to court documents.
Casper resident Christian Wright, born 1998, was charged with reckless driving, eluding, speeding, and possession of a controlled substance in Platte County Circuit Court. He was also cited for stop sign and turn signal violations, among others.
On Feb. 7 at around 8:23 p.m., a trooper clocked a 2017 Toyota RAV4 going 96 mph in an 80 mph zone of Interstate 25, according to the trooper’s report. The vehicle reportedly fled onto US 26 and reached speeds of up to 120 mph before entering Guernsey State Park.
The trooper said the driver threw a nearly empty wine bottle out the window. Wright was cited for both littering and driving with an open container.
The trooper was then advised that the vehicle had been stolen out of Natrona County. Having evaded the tactic once, troopers spike-stripped the front left tire at mile marker 518. The RAV 4 finally came to a stop at mile marker 535, the report says.
Wright showed signs of impairment and “slept in the vehicle for most of the transport,” the trooper reported.
Mills resident Brook McQueary and Casper resident Damien Pollock, both born 2004, were passengers in the vehicle, the report said. Both pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor drug charge each.
McQueary was sentenced to 83 days with court orders to expedite a bed date at a treatment center, according to her sentencing report.
Pollock served four days.
Chief Clerk of Platte County Circuit Court Heather Spigel confirmed that Wright had chosen not to enter any plea until consulting with council, and is currently in the Platte County Detention Center on a $3,500 bond.
A home cleaner in Casper told Oil City she was the owner of the RAV4 and had reported it stolen the morning before the chase. She said it was taken while she was loading up supplies from a home she was cleaning around 5:10 a.m. on Holly Street in west Casper on Feb. 7.
After the chase, wrecking yard staff told her the vehicle was in the worst condition they’d ever seen. She said said she called her RAV4 “Bessie,” after the WWI tank, because it could roll through anything.
“Even the cops said they had a hard time bringing her down,” she said.
The woman said she’s been out about $400 in cleaning supplies and missed days of work without the vehicle. There is now an insurance claim on the vehicle, which says is worth about $25,000.
CORRECTION: Wright’s date of birth has been corrected.
