WELD COUNTY, Colo. — A Denver man who led police on a high-speed chase through Weld County before crashing and severely injuring a passenger in his vehicle was sentenced to more than two decades in prison this week.
On Monday, Christopher Holder, 43, was sentenced to 24 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections after pleading guilty in June to one count of second-degree kidnapping, and one count of vehicular assault.
The charges were related to a Dec. 18, 2020 incident in which Holder kidnapped his then-girlfriend and led several law enforcement agencies on a high-speed chase.
Holder was traveling northbound on Highway 85 through Fort Lupton, when a Fort Lupton officer attempted to pull him over for swerving in and out of traffic lanes.
He failed to stop and proceeded to cross the center lane while driving on the wrong side of Highway 85 toward on-coming traffic at roughly 100 miles per hour. Approximately 12 vehicles that were traveling southbound had to pull over in order to avoid being struck head-on by Holder.
“The defendant’s actions in this case demonstrate that he is an absolute danger to the community,” Weld Deputy District Attorney Lillie Parker said during the sentencing hearing. “He endangered the victim to the point where I cannot believe she survived. He endangered other drivers on that road, some of whom had to take evasive action to avoid a crash. He endangered the lives of the many officers who responded to this incident. It’s a miracle no one ended up dead.”
Holder's vehicle finally came to a stop near the intersection of Highway 85 Business and Weld County Road 66, after he drove off the roadway, over an embankment near railroad tracks, and became airborne before flipping the car twice.
When the car came to a stop, Holder ran from the vehicle leaving his then-girlfriend handcuffed and injured inside.
Before he was taken into custody, the defendant started to inject narcotics in his arm with a syringe. He also took out a pill bottle and swallowed a handful of pills at the scene.
“The defendant’s action in this case absolutely crushed this victim,” Parker said. “She suffered serious injury in a broken back, bruising to her face from the defendant punching her, and lacerations to her head from the accident. The only thing that saved her life is the fact that she was seat belted in and, even with that, it’s a miracle she survived this crash.”
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