The man who led police on a slow-speed RV chase along Main Street in Cortez last month was sentenced to 18 months in prison after accepting a plea agreement from the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
Kevin Ritter, 41, pleaded guilty Thursday to vehicular eluding, a Class Five felony, and opted to go to immediate sentencing.
Vehicular eluding occurs when an individual is driving recklessly while being pursued by police officers.
The plea agreement’s terms dictated that Ritter would spend between 12 and 18 months in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Montezuma County District Court Judge Doug Walker, at Assistant District Attorney Will Furse’s request, sentenced Ritter to the full 18 months.
On the morning of Feb. 5, police pulled Ritter over for a traffic infraction near the Hampton Inn on Hawkins Street. Ritter fled in his RV and ran over spikes set by police, blowing a rear tire.
Officers followed Ritter in a slow-speed pursuit as he drove west along Main Street and then north along U.S. Highway 491 until he turned onto County Road Y.
Ritter’s RV got stuck in mud near the intersection of County Road Y and County Road 16, where police apprehended him without issues.
Ritter was initially charged with several other crimes, including criminal impersonation, violation of bail bond conditions, resisting arrest, violation of a protection order, reckless driving and unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
According to Furse, Ritter also has at least one pending and active warrant out of Jefferson County.
anicotera@the-journal.com
