A Durango man suspected of leading law enforcement on a 100 mph chase and avoiding law enforcement for almost two months has been captured.
Anthony Bowers, 49, was arrested Wednesday, 56 days after allegedly fleeing from a La Plata County sheriff’s deputy near the New Mexico line, said spokesman Chris Burke.
Bowers was arrested by the Colorado State Patrol in Archuleta County.
Bowers had outstanding warrants for failure to comply with a court order, prior driving restraints, alcohol-related violations and failure to appear in court, Burke said previously.
A sheriff’s deputy recognized Bowers about 10 p.m. March 6 at a property in the lower 100 block of El Co Court south of Durango, according to an arrest affidavit signed March 7 by La Plata County Judge William Herringer.
A man with a long ponytail left the residence and got into a 1996 Ford sedan with Colorado plates, which belonged to Bowers, according to the affidavit.
Deputies attempted to stop the vehicle on U.S. Highway 550 near Little Cow and Deer canyons, just south of the Highway 550 bridge over the Animas River. But Bowers sped away, driving recklessly at speeds upward of 100 mph, deputies wrote in the affidavit. At one point, Bowers swerved into oncoming traffic, according to the affidavit.
Bowers turned his lights on and off as he crossed the state line about three minutes after police initiated the chase. He lost control of the vehicle a couple of miles south of the New Mexico border and crashed into a ditch, according to the affidavit.
A sergeant with the Sheriff’s Office yelled something to the effect of “Sheriff’s Office. Bowers, I know it’s you!” as the man fled on foot with a medium-sized black dog over a locked fence and onto private property, according to the arrest affidavit.
Sheriff’s deputies “tracked footprints for several hours, but were unable to successfully locate Bowers,” according to the affidavit.
Burke said previously that Bowers has a history of violence and driving under the influence of alcohol.
bhauff@durangoherald.com
