Pierce Man Sentenced to 18 Years for Holding Ex-Girlfriend Against Her Will

A 29-year old northern Colorado man was sentenced to 18 years behind bars following his court date in which he pleaded guilty to Attempted Kidnapping in the First Degree as an act of domestic violence.

According to the Weld County District Attorney's Office, Jeremy Wortman of Pierce, held the mother of his child inside his vehicle against her will, assaulted her, and also threatened to kill her.

The incident took place on February 27, when Wortman met the victim in the parking lot at Outriders Bar and Grill on 10th Street in Greeley. The two were reportedly meeting up to discuss parenting and custody issues regarding their young child. When the female got into Wortman's car, he drove away from the parking lot against her will.

As Wortman was driving around Weld County, the female victim attempted to secretly make a call to police from her cell phone. This escalated the situation to the point that Wortman crossed four lanes of traffic, blew out a tire, and finally wrecked the vehicle. While Wortman was checking on the vehicle damage, the victim was able to record the rest of the incident on her phone.

Although the vehicle was damaged, Wortman continued to drive recklessly throughout town, eventually shredding all of the rubber from the damaged tire. Dispatchers received calls from concerned citizens who watched the defendant run red lights while sparks flew from his vehicle. During this time, the female attempted to open the door and jump from the moving vehicle.

According to police, the female sent several texts to a friend and her father during the incident. She hid these from Wortman at the time. Her friends and family were able to relay the information to dispatchers, which helped to locate the pair. This ultimately led to Wortman's arrest.

During the 27 minute ordeal, Wortman threatened to kill the victim multiple times and she could be heard on the audio recording begging for her life.