Fugitive father caught after allegedly kidnapping his child and leading police on 100+ MPH chase
Celeste Springer
CHAFFEE COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) — The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office says a man wanted out of Thornton has been arrested after leading deputies in a chase. Deputies allege he kidnapped his child, whom he didn’t have custody of.
According to the sheriff’s office, 46-year-old Phillip Lee Torres was out on bond, facing charges for “serious child sex assault and kidnapping charges that he was about to go to trial on.”
The sheriff’s office says he had allegedly cut his ankle monitor off and ran off with his child without permission from the child’s caregivers or the state on Sept. 25. The sheriff’s office stated that it was believed Torres was fleeing the state, possibly to Mexico.
The Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office says a Be On the Look Out (BOLO) alert was issued for his truck, and an Amber Alert for his child was also sent out.
According to the sheriff’s office, tips began to flood in from residents who received the Amber Alert, and the truck was also spotted using license plate reading cameras.
Police officers in Salida located the truck, but while attempting to pull Torres over, he allegedly fled. The sheriff’s office says that deputies and officers pursued Torres, who was reportedly going more than 100 miles per hour at some points.
Eventually, law enforcement was able to stop the truck using stop sticks, the sheriff’s office says. Video of the incident can be viewed at the top of this article.
The sheriff’s office says his child was taken in without injuries and returned home.
Torres faces the following charges, according to the sheriff’s office:
Vehicular eluding: Created a substantial risk of bodily Injury by operating a vehicle in a reckless manner (Class 5 felony)
Child Abuse: Knowingly or recklessly, where no death or injury results (Class 2 misdemeanor)
Reckless endangerment (Class 2 misdemeanor)
Violation of a criminal protection order (Class 1 misdemeanor)
Reckless driving (Class 2 traffic misdemeanor)
Speeding: 40 or more over the posted speed limit (Class 2 traffic misdemeanor)
Drove motor vehicle when license under restraint (Class A traffic infraction)