Cody Man Sentenced to Prison for Car Theft, Chase

A Cody man who stole a truck in Lovell and led law enforcement agencies on a two-hour car chase that ended in Riverton last year has been sentenced to prison.
44-year-old Christopher Mitchell was sentenced by District Court Judge Bill Simpson last week to 5 to 7 years in prison on charges of theft of property valued at more than a thousand dollars. The Cody Enterprise reports that the arrest came after Mitchell stole a truck from his former employer, Jay Blough, last September. When police in Lovell attempted to pull him over, Mitchell drove the pickup through a spike strip between Thermopolis and Worland and crashed the truck, stole another pickup, and was finally arrested after police stopped him in Riverton by ramming the vehicle.
During the hearing, Mitchell apologized to the Bloughs, and blamed his behavior on alcohol-induced hallucinations brought on by his response to the death of his daughter. Mitchell has an extensive criminal history, but he said despite his frequent run-ins with the law, this incident was out of character for him.
The Enterprise notes that Mitchell had already received jail sentences in Hot Springs County and Washakie County prior to last week’s hearing.