headline

Man arrested after high-speed chase

October 4, 2001

By Aspen C. Emmett
Journal Staff Writer

As Montezuma-Cortez High School students were blissfully marching down Main Street to celebrate homecoming in Cortez Friday afternoon, the Cortez Police Department and the Colorado State Patrol were chasing down a man allegedly bound for county court with vengeance on his mind.

Francis Hill

Francis Hill, 42, of Mancos, was arrested following a dangerous, high-speed chase through downtown, ending east of the San Juan Technical School. Although no one was injured, Hill reportedly veered his truck into the side of a patrol car and rear-ended a civilian vehicle in the course of the pursuit, according to CPD chief Roy Lane.

"We received a call from an unknown person that he was on his way to the court and that he was unhappy and was going to do something," Lane said. "It wasn’t just a couple minutes later that he came through the Sheriff’s Office’s back lot, turned the corner and came in our back lot."

THIS PATROL CAR was sideswiped Friday afternoon near the duck pond in Cortez Centennial Park during a high-speed chase of Francis Hill. CPD officers were jointed in pursuit by state troopers, and Hill eventually stopped east of San Juan Technical School.

A CPD officer was on his way out of the parking lot when he met Hill head on.

"Seeing that he couldn’t get out any other way, he (Hill) backed out and took off," Lane explained.

Hill backed up on the grass of the Centennial Park and turned up Mildred Street towards Main Street and the parade.

"He just tore all the grass up leaving. Somewhere around the duck pond, he sideswiped one of the patrol cars — they were hooked for quite a ways."

According to a police report, the vehicles traveled 150 feet before separating. In the process, Hill also allegedly struck, from behind, a vehicle belonging to Armando Garcia.

"We were scared to death he was going to turn back on Main Street and come through town, Lane said. "If he’d have come back towards town we would have had to force him off the road because there were so many kids."

But to the officers’ relief, Hill made a left turn on Montezuma Avenue to Sligo and then up to Main Street where he turned back east and headed out of town.

"We finally got him stopped just the other side of the Vo-Tech School," Lane said. "He finally stopped himself. I don’t know if his vehicle ran out or what but he stopped on his own."

At times, the chase reached speeds of close to 100 mph on U.S. Highway 160, Lane said.

Hill was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault, vehicular eluding, damage to public property, and obstruction of justice. He is currently being held on a $300,000 bond and will be formally advised of the charges in County Court today at 1:30 p.m.

Drugs and alcohol were not believed to be a factor in Hill’s behavior, and officers do not know why he was disgruntled to begin with. He did not have a pending case at County Court at the time, according to a court clerk.

Hill is no stranger to the law though, according to court records. In 2000, he was charged with menacing, second degree trespassing, criminal mischief and possession of marijuana resulting from three different incidents. Also this winter, he was charged with assault on a police officer while at an appearance at District Court.