Judge hands down more than a century to man who shot at officer
Published on October 13, 2021
GREELEY, Colo. (Weld County D.A.) -- An Aurora man will spend more than a century behind bars after shooting at an officer during a high-speed chase last year.
James Nicholson, 52, was convicted in July of: attempted second-degree murder, one count of first-degree assault, two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of third-degree assault, vehicular eluding, and possession of a controlled substance.
On July 11, 2020, officers were called to an apartment on 10th Street in Greeley where a resident reported that a man matching Nicholson's description had a gun and was trying to get into their apartment.
When officers arrived, they saw Nicholson walking away from the apartment complex. They attempted to make contact with him, but he took off running.
As officers got closer to catching up with him, he turned around and sprayed the two officers with bear mace, which is similar to pepper spray.
When additional backup officers arrived on scene, Nicholson then got into a vehicle and took off, taking officers on a high-speed chase throughout Greeley .
At one point while officers were chasing Nicholson, one of the officers saw the rear window of the defendant’s vehicle shatter. He then heard multiple gunshots and saw between eight to 10 muzzle flashes coming from the interior of Nicholson’s vehicle.
Multiple outside agencies assisted Greeley police officers during the chase as the defendant drove through multiple cities and two counties.
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office was able to immobilize Nicholson’s vehicle just north of Clydesdale and Crossroads Boulevard in Loveland.
On Friday, a judge found the prosecution had also proven each of the six charged habitual criminal counts, and the defendant was immediately sentenced to 112 years in the Colorado Department of Corrections.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wrenn and Deputy District Attorney Andrew Rogers prosecuted this case.