A 21-year-old New Mexico man who stole a vehicle and crashed it on Molas Pass was sentenced Tuesday to two years in prison.
Christopher Bagwell faced up to three years in prison after signing a plea agreement with the 6th Judicial District Attorney’s Office. He pleaded guilty Nov. 14 to felony motor vehicle theft and vehicular eluding.
Bagwell stole a white 1996 Ford Club Wagon van about 6 p.m. Sept. 5 from a parking lot in the 3400 block of Main Avenue. It was a former Mild to Wild rafting company van that had been purchased for $1,000 by Oscar Ortiz, according to an arrest affidavit.
Ortiz said he left the van unlocked with the keys under the driver’s side floorboard while he worked at a construction site.
Bagwell drove the van to a campground near Silverton, where someone reported two people acting suspiciously. The San Juan County Sheriff’s Office responded, but as a deputy approached, the individuals sped away in the white van that had been reported stolen.
The Colorado State Patrol and the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office pursued the van south of Silverton on Molas Pass (U.S. Highway 550). On the south side of Molas Pass, the van rolled.
Bagwell, who was driving, ran from the wreckage, leaving his wife, Amanda Davalos, seriously injured in the crash. Officers eventually captured Bagwell and airlifted Davalos to Mercy Regional Medical Center, where she was treated for possible fractures to her spine and arm.
shane@durangoherald.com
