Trial delayed for former Aspen High School coach; DUI charge dropped

Editor’s note (updated): Unless individuals hold positions of public trust or there is imminent danger of harm to the public (e.g., active shooter) or there is an exceptional circumstance, suspects arrested/charged will not be named/identified until there is a conviction or a plea deal is taken. This case involves a position of public trust.

The jury trial of a former Aspen High School basketball coach was delayed months in Monday court proceedings after his DUI charge was dropped.

Chris Woodring, 28, was arrested in March 2024, for allegedly drinking with current and former Skiers basketball players — who were under legal drinking age — and eluding police in a car chase through Aspen after leaving the bar, according to an affidavit filed by the Aspen Police Department. He was released on a $2,000 bond the same day of his arrest.

He was charged in April 2024 with eluding the police, a class 5 felony. He also received a misdemeanor charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor and driving under the influence. In January 2025, Judge Laura Makar set trial dates from April 8-10. 

But on March 3, the court dropped the DUI charge against the former coach, who never took a breathalyzer or field sobriety test as he was not arrested until about 12 hours following the police chase. 

“Getting this charge dismissed represents a huge victory for the defense,” said Ben Rose, Woodring’s attorney, in a statement to The Aspen Times. “One down, two more to go. Just as this charge has been dismissed, I believe when it’s all said and done, Chris will be fully vindicated.”

Rose said in the Monday court proceedings that when the court dropped the DUI charge, the defense council needed additional time to reevaluate their case strategy, arguing that with most cases the council would have 60 to 70 days to evaluate. Should the April 8 trial date hold, that would give them just 22 more days, according to Rose.

“Once this charge was dismissed, our case strategy changed pretty substantially,” Rose said.

Deputy District Attorney James Stone agreed to the continuance request, but said he was ready to declare trial today.

Makar set the new trial date for Aug. 11-14.

Woodring said in a statement to The Aspen Times he was relieved that the DUI charge was dropped. 

“I’m relieved the DUI charge was dropped, but I know with all my heart it was always baseless,” Woodring said. “I wish I was able to coach this last season, being able to fight and bring home another state championship with the Aspen High School team. Of course, I would have done things differently that night, but I wish that this process had been honest with what actually happened. I’m really looking forward to the truth coming out.”

According to the case affidavit, Woodring’s encounter with the police began around 2:37 a.m. on March 16, 2024. An Aspen police officer activated his emergency police lights to stop a 2023 Silver Ford F150, after it rolled through a stop sign at N. Third and W. Hallam streets in Aspen.

The Ford accelerated west on Hallam Street to elude the police car, barely avoiding a head-on collision with another Aspen police officer, who was patrolling in his own car, as it turned onto N. Fourth Street, according to the affidavit.

The two police officers lost sight of the car during the chase. They found the vehicle abandoned with its doors left open between W. Main Street and W. Hopkins Avenue at S. Third Street, according to the affidavit.

The police later discovered the Ford was driven by the former coach, and learned there were three underage individuals in the car during the chase — a  junior Aspen High School basketball player, a 19-year-old former player, and a 20-year-old, according to the affidavit. The three were later charged with minor-in-possession misdemeanors. 

After searching for the missing driver and passengers, an Aspen police officer found the three minors in a nearby ally. When the officer attempted to contact them, they ran. The officers later contacted the individuals on private property, in a tree well, and over the phone, according to the affidavit.

In a post-arrest interview with one of the involved parties the police discovered Woodring had eaten dinner with the three underage individuals at his home, according to the affidavit. The four then went to The Sterling Aspen, a nightclub in Aspen, where the former coach was reportedly drinking. The three underage individuals used fake IDs to get into the club.

After the club, the three underage individuals missed the bus home, so Woodring agreed to give them a ride, according to the affidavit. 

The affidavit said that after Woodring eluded the police, he told his passengers to run when he stopped his vehicle.

Unable to find the former coach, the police eventually arrested him at his home about 12 hours later. 

Rose said with the upcoming trial, the people of Aspen will be surprised about the events of the night. 

“I believe when the truth about the situation comes out, the people of Aspen will be surprised,” Rose said in a statement to The Aspen Times. “And that’s a very sad thing because the surprise will be the difference between what actually happened that night and what was reported.”

Stone could not be reached for comment by deadline.

Skyler Stark-Ragsdale can be reached at 970-429-9152 or email him at sstark-ragsdale@aspentimes.com.