GLENWOOD SPRINGS, COLORADO — A fugitive out of Stanly and Montgomery counties wanted on child sex crimes was captured Tuesday in Colorado, police in Glenwood Springs stated in a news release on Friday.
Glenwood Springs police officers checked the registered owner information on a Dodge Durango with North Carolina plates. The Durango was connected to a wanted violent felon.
Police in Colorado pulled over the Durango and tried to arrest James Gillis, 31, but he resisted.
The 31-year-old driver tried to drive away but she was detained.
It took officers several minutes to get Gillis arrested while they also rescued three children, ages seven to 12 years old, from the SUV.
Once detained, Gillis told officers he had a shotgun in the SUV, which was behind the children. Later, police learned Gillis planned to kill everyone around him, including himself.
The three young children were taken into protective custody and will be transferred to North Carolina protective services. Their small dog had been abused and was taken to a facility. It is up for adoption.
The victims were not Gillis’ children, police said.
The woman who was driving “facilitated the felony crimes by subjecting the victims to criminal acts at the hands of Mr. Gillis when she was in a position to prevent this from happening,” police stated.
Interviews with the child victims indicated that various sex crimes occurred between North Carolina and Glenwood Springs. There may be additional victims. Call the police if you have any information.
Gillis is accused of two counts of child abuse involving serious bodily injury, second-degree forcible sexual offenses, statutory sexual offenses on a child by an adult, and crimes against nature.
The woman was charged with two counts of child abuse causing serious bodily injury.
Gillis and Bryant were booked into the Garfield County jail and are awaiting extradition to North Carolina.
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