A La Plata County man arrested on suspicion of attempted robbery who led police on a multi-hour pursuit north of Bayfield was charged Wednesday with multiple felonies.
Michael Fisher Wilson, 20, was charged with aggravated motor vehicle theft, criminal attempt to commit robbery, vehicular eluding, criminal mischief, reckless endangerment and second-degree burglary.
He faces up to 12 years in prison if convicted of second-degree burglary, and is being held on $25,000 bail.
Annie Woods, Wilson’s public defender, said he is “not a high risk to the community,” and argued for a reduction in bail.
District Judge William Herringer denied a reduction in bail, calling the allegations “concerning.”
Events began about 8 a.m. Oct. 30 at the Grocery Store at Bayfield, 381 E. Colorado Drive, where Wilson attempted to rob the store’s owner, Paul Peeples, but fled when the store owner refused to cooperate, according to the Bayfield Marshal’s Office.
Wilson is suspected of leading police on a 20-mile chase north of Bayfield, reaching speeds of 80 mph, and a multi-hour foot pursuit.
He abandoned the car, which was stolen from his mother, a couple of miles north of Vallecito Reservoir, according to police.
He also unsuccessfully attempted to steal a second car and broke into a Vallecito resident’s home, according to previous interviews with the Marshal’s Office.
A woman in the home talked to him for several minutes, eventually persuading him to leave before calling police.
Wilson is next scheduled to appear Dec. 8 in District Court for a preliminary hearing.
mrupani@durangoherald.com
