CHEYENNE, Wyo. — Christopher Charles Howell, 43, was sentenced on Nov. 12 in Laramie County District Court after pleading guilty to aggravated eluding and reckless driving. Judge Peter H. Froelicher imposed a 12- to 18-month prison sentence for the felony charge, with credit for time served and no restitution claimed.
The charges stemmed from a June 3 incident when Laramie County Sheriff’s Deputy Joshua Gebauer observed Howell driving a maroon Ford F-150 erratically on the shoulder near the 4200 block of Interstate 80 Service Road.
Howell accelerated to 55 mph in a 35 mph zone and unlawfully passed another vehicle on a double yellow line. When Deputy Gebauer activated his emergency lights and siren, Howell fled, entering eastbound I-80 and reaching speeds of up to 95 mph.
Law enforcement, including Pine Bluffs Police Chief Smith, attempted to stop the truck using tire deflation devices near milepost 396. Despite the efforts, Howell evaded capture, and the pursuit was terminated for safety reasons.
Construction workers later reported Howell’s truck exiting at milepost 1 into Nebraska. It was eventually found abandoned in a ditch 3 miles south of the exit.
Howell was located on foot nearby and taken into custody by Nebraska authorities. During his arrest, Howell admitted to fleeing because he believed he had outstanding warrants, though no active warrants were found at the time. A prior conviction for fleeing and eluding in 2022 was noted in court records.
As part of a plea agreement, the court dismissed two additional misdemeanor charges: speeding in a superintendent zone and unlawful passing. Howell waived his right to a presentence investigation and any future requests for sentence reduction.
