NOVEMBER 20, 2024|
Photo – Aiden Swanson booking photo – Courtesy CCSO
More information has been released about the wanted fugitive who led Carbon County law enforcement on a chase east of Saratoga earlier this month.
On Sunday, November 10th, Carbon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sergeant Chris Fisher was staking out the home of 28-year-old Saratoga resident Aiden Daniel Swanson. Sergeant Fisher was attempting to serve a warrant on Swanson for a domestic incident that had occurred several days earlier.
In his written affidavit, Sergeant Fisher reported that he received no response when he knocked on the door of the residence, located on 13th Street in Saratoga. The sheriff’s deputy noted that a white Ford pickup truck matching the description of Swanson’s vehicle was parked in the driveway.
Sergeant Fisher eventually left the suspect’s home and wrote that he saw the same white pickup truck drive past him on Bridge Avenue later in the day, where the suspect allegedly ran a stop sign. Fisher turned around and gave chase, at which point, the suspect allegedly sped up and attempted to escape.
The driver turned west onto County Road 500, swerving from shoulder to shoulder attempting to avoid the many large potholes. Court documents indicate that the driver, later identified as Swanson, turned off County Road 500 and onto a private driveway belonging to the Jack Creek Land and Cattle Company. Sergeant Fisher mentions that the suspect was traveling 65 miles an hour at the time. The sheriff’s deputy writes that Swanson continued past the ranch and several houses and out onto Bureau of Land Management property.
Due to Swanson’s high rate of travel, Sergeant Fisher stated that several items fell from the suspect’s truck, including the tailgate off the back end.
Eventually, Swanson turned off the road and into the sagebrush, where he doubled back on himself. It was at this point that Sergeant Fisher wrote that he was able to see a female passenger in the vehicle.
Swanson, with the sheriff’s deputy in pursuit, made his way to County Road 408 and back onto County Road 500, where the suspect is reported to have hit speeds of 77 miles an hour.
In his written affidavit, Sergeant Fisher stated that Swanson then turned south on Forest Road 452 into the Medicine Bow National Forest. At that point, the suspect’s vehicle appeared to struggle while climbing a snow-covered hill. Still driving too quicky for conditions, Sergeant Fisher wrote that Swanson rolled his truck into a ditch 7.3 miles from County Road 500.
Following the rollover, the suspect allegedly exited his vehicle and took off on foot, running farther along the snowy road. Sergeant Fisher wrote that he chose not to pursue the suspect, instead turning his attention to the female passenger who was unharmed in the crash. The female passenger, identified as 31-year-old Michelle Ellis, confirmed that the driver was Swanson and indicated that the suspect had a .22 caliber rifle in the truck.
Sergeant Fisher handcuffed Ellis and placed her into the back of his patrol vehicle. At that time, the sheriff’s deputy reported that Saratoga Police Lieutenant John Moore arrived on the scene, followed by Officer Casey Lehr and Deputy Sergeant Pat Patterson. Sergeant Patterson used a drone to attempt to locate the suspect.
Meanwhile, Fisher and the other officers searched Swanson’s vehicle, where they discovered a baggy containing just over three grams of methamphetamine, a pipe for smoking meth, a rifle, and an open container of Coors Lite beer.
Officer Lehr and Deputy Jason Black drove roughly one mile farther along the snowy road and found Swanson sitting with his dog. The suspect was taken into custody.
The Carbon County Prosecutors Office has charged Swanson with 12 counts, including felony possession of a controlled substance, delivery of a controlled substance, possession of a firearm by a felon, reckless driving, and fleeing a police officer. Swanson is also charged with littering for the items that fell from his vehicle during the pursuit, specifically his tailgate.
Swanson is being held in the Carbon County Jail on an $8,000 cash bond. He is scheduled to be seen in circuit court today at 3:00pm.
