Suspect Arrested for Kidnapping, Assault 

A Wyoming man was arrested in Wellington for kidnapping and assault last week.

Just after 5 p.m. on January 18, 2024, Dispatch received a report of a white Cadillac traveling at approximately 100 mph Southbound on I-25 near Wellington. The caller reported seeing a woman in the vehicle waving her hands and yelling for help. A Larimer County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant located the vehicle traveling  Northbound at 6th Street and Cleveland Avenue in Wellington. He attempted to stop the vehicle, but the driver refused to comply and drove away. Deputies blocked the vehicle on the I-25 overpass at the Cleveland Avenue exit and made a high-risk traffic stop.  

A man and woman exited the vehicle while two children remained inside. The driver, identified as Derrick  Richie (DOB 11/07/1988) of Cheyenne, Wyoming, was uncooperative and fought with deputies. Deputies used less lethal tools in an effort to gain his compliance. He continued resisting, but deputies were able to take him into custody safely. 

The female victim was treated for minor injuries. No deputies were hurt during the struggle. Richie was  medically cleared at an area hospital and then booked into the Larimer County Jail around 9:30 p.m. on the  following charges: 

• 2nd Degree Kidnapping – 3 counts (F4) 
• 1st Degree Assault (F3) 
• 3rd Degree Assault (M1) 
• Child Abuse – Knowingly or Recklessly – 2 counts (M2) 
• Drove While Under the Influence of Drugs 
• Domestic Violence 

A booking photo is attached. He was issued a $20,000 cash/surety bond by the Larimer County Court. The charges are merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.