CASPER, Wyo. — A Colorado couple arrested after a pursuit in a stolen vehicle in Laramie County last December has been sentenced in federal court, according to a release by the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday.
Joseph David Hylton and Dana Clair Koch, both 23, were sentenced in the Court of Chief United States District Court Judge Scott W. Skavdahl on Friday, Aug. 25 for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl.
Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers found 370 fentanyl pills in the stolen pickup truck the couple was driving, the release said.
On Dec. 3, 2022, a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper attempted to pull over a pickup truck speeding on Interstate I-25 southbound near mile marker 10 in Laramie County, Wyoming.
“Instead of stopping, the driver sped up and attempted to elude the trooper,” the release said. “The high-speed pursuit came to an end at Exit 4, where the truck went the wrong way off the exit and struck another vehicle before going down a hill.
“Hylton and Koch then ran from the vehicle. Koch stopped when commanded. Hylton continued running through a field and was later apprehended trying to hitch a ride on the interstate, the release said.”
A cellphone search revealed text messages consistent with the distribution of fentanyl pills, the release said.
The defendants were indicted in March 2023 and pled guilty in June.
Hylton, of Arvada, Colorado, was sentenced to 51 months’ imprisonment. Koch, a Centennial, Colorado resident, was sentenced to 34 months’ imprisonment. They will then serve three years of supervised release.
