Inset: Shane McSwane (Pueblo County Sheriff's Office). Background: The highway interchange near where McSwane carjacked and kidnapped a woman in Aurora, Colo. (Google Maps).
A Colorado man will be spending the better part of three decades behind bars for kidnapping a woman who witnessed a car crash he was involved in.
Shane McSwane, 29, pleaded guilty to one count each of kidnapping and attempted aggravated robbery, the Pueblo County District Attorney's Office announced Friday in a press release.
The judge overseeing the case then sentenced the defendant to 13 years on each count. The court ordered the sentences to run consecutively, or one after another, for a total of 26 years in prison.
The underlying incident occurred on May 25, 2025, when Grace Dotson witnessed a car crash in Aurora near the Interstate 70 and Interstate 225 interchange, law enforcement said.
As the victim stopped to call 911, the defendant forced his way into her vehicle — ultimately carjacking and kidnapping her.
"He then proceeded to hold her captive for four hours while driving erratically and in multiple directions," the DA's office press release reads. "At times the defendant would allow Ms. Dotson to answer phone calls from her frantic and terrified family members."
During the ordeal, Dotson was able to report the "bad traffic crash" to 911 dispatchers and message "help me" to her mother, according to Denver-based NBC affiliate KUSA. Her boyfriend quickly understood she was "not OK" after speaking with her.
Eventually, after traveling in multiple directions along the highway, McSwane took Interstate 25 south into Pueblo County. There, deputies responded to a robbery at a Circle K convenience store in Colorado City. The vehicle allegedly used in that robbery matched the description of the carjacked vehicle, according to a press release issued by the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office.
"Deputies located the vehicle driving northbound on Interstate 25 toward the City of Pueblo and attempted to stop the vehicle," the sheriff's office press release reads. "McSwane eluded deputies, turning around and going southbound on the interstate, where he refused to stop."
Using stop sticks to deflate the vehicle's tires and a Precision Immobilization Technique — the so-called "PIT maneuver" — deputies were finally able to end the chase and rescue Dotson in Huerfano County.
The victim and multiple family members spoke at McSwane's sentencing, according to prosecutors.
"They all described the worst four hours of their lives … a nightmare, as they watched Ms. Dotson's phone location head south on I-25 from Denver after she was kidnapped," the DA's office said.
The victim and her family also offered a significant measure of grace to the defendant, saying they all "hope that Mr. McSwane does the work to be a better man when he is released someday."
"We are inspired by the strength, resilience, and compassion of Ms. Dotson after surviving an unforgettable nightmare," Pueblo County District Attorney Kala Beauvais said in a statement. "Nobody can fully comprehend what Ms. Dotson endured that night, but she showed remarkable strength while addressing the court, with the defendant present, and carrying herself with such courage."
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