A Pueblo judge on June 12 sentenced 29-year-old Shane McSwane to 26 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to kidnapping and related charges tied to a carjacking that started in Aurora and ended in a high-speed chase down Interstate 25. Prosecutors told the court the punishment comes as two consecutive 13-year terms, a nod to what they described as a roughly four-hour ordeal that left the victim and her family deeply shaken but physically unharmed.
As reported by Pueblo Chieftain, McSwane pleaded guilty in Pueblo County court to second-degree kidnapping and attempted aggravated robbery. The sentencing hearing featured emotional victim impact statements and a request from the district attorney that the judge stack the terms back-to-back rather than let them run at the same time.
How The Abduction Unfolded
According to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, the incident began on May 25, 2025, when deputies say McSwane forced his way into a woman’s vehicle after she stopped at the scene of a crash near the I-225 and I-70 interchange in Aurora. He then allegedly drove her against her will for nearly four hours. Deputies tracked the victim’s phone signal to a Circle K in Colorado City, where they say McSwane went inside and threatened a clerk during an attempted robbery before fleeing in a gray 2020 Ford Escape. The sheriff’s news release lays out the timeline in detail, and the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office described both the victim’s account and the charges that followed.
Pursuit And Arrest
Deputies in southern Pueblo County later spotted the SUV near the Pueblo Boulevard exit and tried to pull it over. Authorities say McSwane took off instead, turned, and headed south on I-25, dragging the chase into Huerfano County. Huerfano County deputies deployed stop sticks at mile marker 67 and used a PIT maneuver near mile marker 64 to box the vehicle in. McSwane was taken into custody at gunpoint, and the woman was pulled from the back seat "shaken, emotional, but alive and physically unharmed," according to reporting. CBS Colorado and other outlets confirmed the multi-county pursuit and coordinated law enforcement response.
Victim And Courtroom Statements
During the sentencing hearing, the victim and her family described the nearly four-hour abduction as the worst hours of their lives. Tenth Judicial District Attorney Kala Beauvais told the court that the victim showed remarkable strength when she addressed the judge, according to Pueblo Chieftain. Family members urged the court to impose a sentence that captured the emotional impact of what she endured.
Charges And Legal Fallout
Court filings and the sheriff’s news release list a long roster of counts tied to the case, including second-degree kidnapping, two counts of aggravated robbery, unlawful sexual contact, second-degree motor vehicle theft, two counts of menacing with a deadly weapon, felony vehicular eluding, reckless driving, and driving under restraint. The Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office noted that McSwane could face additional charges as the investigation continued.
According to local coverage, the victim’s boyfriend helped guide deputies to southern Colorado by sharing his girlfriend’s phone location, a move authorities credited with making the rescue possible. KOAA detailed how that location-sharing data helped coordinate the multi-agency response that ended the case without physical injury to the victim.
McSwane will remain in custody while his 26-year sentence is processed and arrangements are made to transfer him to the state corrections system, according to court records and reporting. The case spotlighted the coordinated tactics, from phone-location tracing to stop sticks and PIT maneuvers, that deputies say helped head off a worse outcome. CBS Colorado reported that officials praised the interagency cooperation that brought the fast-moving ordeal to an end.
