A Casper woman accused of leading local police on a high-speed chase and ramming patrol vehicles grew teary-eyed in court Tuesday, telling a Circuit Court judge she “made a mistake, and I’ve got to deal with it.”
Paige Streweler-Hall, 26, led police on a chase through Casper on Friday that ended when a pursuing law enforcement vehicle performed a tactical maneuver on her vehicle. But that didn’t happen before she led numerous agencies on a chase that included ramming two police vehicles.
In the car with Streweler-Hall was Christian Matthew Cole, 32, a Denver man wanted in Colorado on suspicion of armed assault.
The pair appeared via video before Circuit Court Judge Brian Christensen on Tuesday for their bond hearings.
An Emotional Appearance
Streweler-Hall appeared teary-eyed during her arraignment and told the judge she had been living in Casper for about six months with her fiancé’s family.
She is charged with fleeing and eluding, a felony that carries penalties of up to five years in prison and $5,000 in fines; reckless driving, a misdemeanor that carries a penalty of six months in jail and a $750 fine; and interfering with a peace officer, which carries a penalty of up to one year in jail and a $1,000 fine.
District Attorney Maridi Choma told the judge that Streweler-Hall chose to elude police as she drove through slippery and icy conditions, posing a danger to the public and officers.
Christensen set her bond at $3,000 cash or surety.
Will Stay In Wyoming For Now
Christensen also reviewed the charges against Cole, which include an assault with a deadly weapon charge from Adams County, Colorado, as well as three counts of probation violation, one of blackmail and five counts of telephone harassment stemming from incidents in Natrona County.
The probation violations go back to incidents in 2015 and 2016, while the blackmail and telephone harassment charges date to July 2019.
Cole appeared in a jail jumpsuit, sporting a black eye and large “’91” tattoo on his chest, told the judge he wanted to waive extradition and go back to Colorado.
The judge informed him that while he faces Wyoming charges he would remain in the state.
Blackmail Charge
Court records show a blackmail charge for Cole involving a series of alleged phone threats he made as he tried to get $10,000 for an attorney from his mother, who lived in Casper at the time.
“Today you sent me over the edge. I will never be the same person after today,” he told his mother, according to court records. “Send me the money or I’m gonna come down there and take care of you, and I promise you don’t want that because I’m taking everyone out, not just you. Make your (expletive) choice (expletive).”
Cole told the judge Tuesday that he now has a good relationship with his mother, who lives in the southeast part of the country.
“Me and my mother are now in good standing,” he told the judge. “I was in a bad place at a bad time. We are in good standing.”
District Attorney Choma told the judge that “the state would have concerns” about Cole’s release given the circumstances of his arrest and the fact “he did remove himself” from probation oversight.
She asked for a $30,000 cash or surety bond, which the judge agreed to.
The blackmail charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison and telephone harassment up to one year in prison and a $1,000 fine.
Dale Killingbeck can be reached at dale@cowboystatedaily.com.
