Good Samaritan Kidnapped At Crash Site; Carjacker Sentenced To 26 Years

​PUEBLO, Colo. — A Colorado man who violently carjacked and kidnapped a Good Samaritan who stopped to report a traffic accident has been sentenced to 26 years in prison.

​Shane McSwane, 29, pleaded guilty on June 12 to felony charges of second-degree kidnapping and attempted aggravated robbery. District Judge Kala Beauvais immediately handed down two 13-year sentences, ordering them to be served consecutively. Because both counts are legally designated as crimes of violence, McSwane must serve at least 85 percent of the 26-year total—roughly 22.1 years behind bars—before becoming eligible for parole.

​The sentencing resolves a multi-county terror spree that began on May 25, 2025, near the interchange of Interstate 70 and Interstate 225 in Aurora. The victim, Grace Dotson, was driving home after dropping a friend off at the airport when she witnessed a violent car crash unfold right in front of her.

​Dotson pulled over to dial 911 and request emergency services. Instead of receiving assistance, McSwane—who was involved in the initial collision—approached her vehicle and gestured for her to roll down the window. When she complied, McSwane reached inside, unlocked the door, and forced his way into the driver’s seat, screaming at her to move over.

​For the next four hours, McSwane held Dotson hostage, driving her Ford Escape erratically and “in multiple directions” along Interstate 25. Throughout the harrowing ordeal, Dotson was occasionally permitted to answer calls from her frantic family members, who watched her phone’s location pinging further and further south toward Denver.

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​The cross-county crime spree escalated when McSwane stopped at a Circle K gas station in Colorado City. Inside the convenience store, he threatened to shoot a clerk while demanding a lighter.

​Pueblo County sheriff’s deputies responding to the gas station robbery realized the getaway vehicle matched the description of Dotson’s carjacked Ford Escape. Minutes later, deputies spotted the vehicle on I-25. When law enforcement attempted a traffic stop, McSwane turned the car southbound and initiated a high-speed pursuit that crossed into neighboring Huerfano County.

​The chase came to an end after Huerfano County deputies successfully deployed spike strips, deflating the vehicle’s tires. Despite the blown rubber, McSwane attempted to drive for several more miles before Pueblo County deputies executed a Precision Immobilization Technique (PIT) maneuver, allowing units from both agencies to box the vehicle in and arrest him.

​Dotson and the gas station clerk escaped the incident without physical injuries. According to court records, initial charges of unlawful sexual contact—filed after Dotson reported being touched inappropriately during the four-hour captivity—were dropped by prosecutors as part of the plea agreement.

​At the sentencing hearing, Dotson and her family members described the four-hour kidnapping as an “unforgettable nightmare.” However, they also expressed remarkable grace, telling the court they hoped McSwane “does the work to be a better man when he is released someday.”

​”We are inspired by the strength, resilience, and compassion of Ms. Dotson after surviving an unforgettable nightmare,” Pueblo County District Attorney Kala Beauvais said in a statement. “We are profoundly grateful that she is alive, and we extend our heartfelt appreciation to our law enforcement partners for their unwavering dedication and heroic efforts to rescue Ms. Dotson.”