A convict released decades early from a virtual life term in prison backed his car into one Douglas County deputy and was shot trying to run over a second during a drunken-driving arrest Friday night.
Reese Slade, 43, was rushed to Littleton Hospital late Friday night after he was shot. Slade’s condition is not known. But why he was not still in prison was a puzzle to some authorities.
Slade was sentenced to a 64-year prison term in 2001, but that sentence was set aside by court order in 2006, according to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records.
Mike Knight of the district attorney’s office said he won’t know until Monday, when he can review Slade’s file, why he was released early. He said the Colorado attorney general’s office handles appeals.
“We’re curious. We’re all scratching our heads,” Knight said. “Is there some technical reason?”
Slade had served only five years of his prison term for 15 counts including drug dealing, obstructing a police officer, five habitual criminal counts and possession of a weapon by a previous offender when he was released, according to CBI records.
At the time, his first parole hearing wasn’t scheduled until the year 2032, said Katherine Sanguinetti, spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Corrections. She also did not know why Slade had been released.
Late Friday night, a driver on southbound Interstate 25 reported seeing Slade, who is from Elizabeth, weaving in traffic and driving erratically near Happy Canyon Road, said Lt. Attila Denes, spokesman for the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputies in two separate vehicles spotted Slade driving a Subaru Outback shortly afterward going west on Wolfensberger Road in Castle Rock and gave chase, Denes said. The suspect turned north onto Caprice Court and stopped about two blocks later at a dead end in an industrial area behind a diesel mechanic shop, he said.
A deputy got out of his car at 10:58 p.m. and was approaching the suspect’s car from behind when Slade put the Subaru in reverse and rammed into him, Denes said.
He then changed gears and sped forward toward a second deputy, he said. The deputy fired at least one shot and struck Slade.
“It definitely was pretty extreme,” Denes said.
The first deputy, who suffered a leg injury, was taken to a hospital, where he was treated and released.
The case is under investigation by the Castle Rock Police Department. The names of the two deputies have not been released.
Slade has a lengthy criminal record for mostly theft and drug crimes dating back to 1990, according to CBI records.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
