The 33-year-old Cañon City woman who led police on a high-speed chase faces 17 charges, including kidnapping, child abuse, and attempted murder of her 4-year-old daughter.
Officers forced Ashley Procter’s automobile off a road that led to dangerous heights, prompting police to charge him. According to a police report, they did so out of fear that Procter would hurt her daughter.
Procter allegedly assaulted a Colorado Department of Human Services caseworker during a court-ordered visitation on August 21 before driving away with her child in a car.
The incident led to a chase through neighborhoods, downtown Cañon City, and down U.S. 50. Dashcam recordings obtained by CBS News Colorado show three Cañon City police officers pursuing Procter’s car after she ran a stop sign.
The court-ordered encounter was the third monitored meeting between Procter and her daughter since she drew the state’s notice with suicide statements. According to CDHS records handed to police officers, one of those statements included Procter’s claim to “get her child and drive off a cliff.”
The chase ended shortly after Procter pulled off U.S. 50 into Skyline Drive. That road leads to a tiny, undulating strip of asphalt on a ridge just west of the city.
“The drive is known for the one lane windy roads leading up to areas that people have been known to drive off, due to the road having no traffic barriers on either side,” a detective of the CCPD said in a police report. He pointed out that chasing officers decided to cease the chase before learning of Procter’s earlier allegations.
Procter lamented being involved in a high-speed chase while livestreaming on social media.
“I’m doing some crazy s— right now,” she said as a siren could be heard in the background. “I’m not going to let people take my kid, dude. This is my daughter, dude.”
The footage shows Procter’s daughter unrestrained in a child car seat.
Procter replied, “OK, here we go,” as she approached Skyline Drive and turned the wheel. Tires squealed.
Procter’s video ended after the incident, and her blonde dreadlocks were spotted on the ground as she was brought into prison.
“The decision by the officers to inflict a maneuver to end a dangerous vehicle pursuit before the vehicle could be driven onto a dangerous road with a young child inside was calculated and intentionally executed to reduce the risk of serious injury or death to the occupants, which would likely have been the result had the pursuit continued,” according to a press release issued by the department.
Following the event, Procter and her daughter, as well as the CDHS caseworker who physically fought Procter over the child, received treatment for minor injuries. A 9-month-old dog in Procter’s car was treated for minor injuries at a Colorado Springs animal hospital.
According to the police report, state caseworkers were given custody of Procter’s 4-year-old daughter nine days before the event occurred.
Procter posted bond and was released from jail on September 1, according to online court records. She is set to appear in Fremont County District Court on November 13. She faces 17 accusations, six of which are felonies.