Trial dismissed, all charges dropped for former Aspen coach

Over 60 prospective jurors filed out of the Pitkin County Courthouse on Monday morning after former Aspen High School assistant basketball coach Chris Woodring saw his trial dismissed and his charges dropped.

“I am just very, very blessed to be able to clear my name and finally be able to move forward in my life,” Woodring said in a prepared statement after Monday court proceedings. 

Woodring was accused of going to a local bar, The Sterling Aspen, with three underage individuals — a Skiers’ player, who was 17 at the time of the alleged incident, a former player, who was 19, and a 20-year-old — on the night between March 15 and March 16, 2024, according to a police affidavit. Aspen Police said they attempted to pull over a Ford-F150 around 2:37 a.m. on March 16 for rolling through a stop sign. Police reported the Ford sped off when they attempted to stop it, leading officers on a vehicle chase west of downtown. 

Aspen Police said they found the vehicle abandoned with its doors open between W. Main St. and W. Hopkins Ave. at S. 3rd St. In the following hours, they located the 19-year-old and the 20-year-old near and in Paepcke Park, before contacting the 17-year-old by phone.

After Aspen Police allegedly threatened to charge the individuals with various felonies, the individuals told officers the driver had been Woodring, who was 27 at the time. The three underage individuals received Minor in Possession charges, a petty offense, and Woodring was arrested the next morning.

Along with the felony eluding and contributing to the delinquency of a minor charges, Woodring was originally charged with Driving Under the Influence, though he never took a field sobriety test or breathalyzer the night of the alleged incident. The court dropped the DUI charge in March. 

The trial was dismissed Monday as a “dismissal without prejudice,” reserving the right for prosecution to refile charges in the future, though Woodring’s attorneys said that rarely occurs.

The dismissal comes after Judge Laura Makar last week denied a motion by Senior Deputy District Attorney Robert Whiting to push the trial beyond the Sept. 17 “speedy trial” deadline, which protects Colorado defendants from ongoing court proceedings by requiring a six-month trial deadline once they enter a plea. Woodring pleaded not guilty earlier this year.

Whiting attempted to continue the trial because the district attorney’s office couldn’t subpoena the under-drinking-age individuals who were allegedly with Woodring the night of the incident.

Without them present, Whiting would have been unable to reference the verbal accounts made by the witnesses when they were originally questioned by police under the Confrontation Clause, part of the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that gives defendants the right to cross-examine witnesses testifying against them. 

Additionally, Makar noted last week that the individuals were “unwilling” to appear in court. 

“We were unable to secure sufficient evidence that we knew was available to demonstrate charges against the defendant,” Whiting said after court proceedings Monday.

Had Woodring been found guilty, he could have faced three years in prison, Woodring’s Attorney Ben Rose said after court Monday.

“To have the courage to face down three years in prison because you believe in your innocence, and then to ultimately have your charges dropped, dismissed, I think is a testament to Chris’ innocence, and also to Chris’ bravery,” Rose said.

He added that, as a father of a child in the Aspen School District, he is disappointed in the district for firing Woodring before he saw due process. Aspen School District Superintendent Tharyn Mulberry said on Monday the district does not comment on personnel matters. 

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“I knew my innocence since the beginning of this whole situation,” Woodring said in his prepared statement. “For a moment, I was in a dark space, mentally, emotionally, physically.”

He said the kids he coached meant “the world and more” to him, and that it became “a lot bigger than basketball.”

“Relationships, bonds, a brotherhood that will never be forgotten or replaced as time goes on,” Woodring added. “And for that to be taken from me is a feeling I wouldn’t wish on anyone in the universe.”

He thanked God, his attorneys — who are Rose and Mark Thiessen — his friends, his family, and the kids he coached and trained that stuck by his side through the process.

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