Christopher Eads, 35, and Santana Keener, 26, both of Casper, Wyoming, have been locked down for a violent crime spree that began with drugs and ended in gunfire, a high-speed chase, and a carjacked vehicle left in flames. On June 3, 2017, the pair were hauling methamphetamine and heroin from Denver back to Casper with plans to flood the streets with poison—until a routine law enforcement stop turned into a war zone.
Eads opened fire on officers during the initial stop, discharging a firearm at agents from the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation and Highway Patrol as they attempted to intercept the vehicle. He then led police on a white-knuckle pursuit south on I-25, barreling through Glenrock and back toward Casper, all while under the influence of the same narcotics he intended to sell. The chase ended in wreckage and arrests—Keener was found on foot in Glenrock after they abandoned a car stolen at gunpoint from a terrified resident.
The crimes didn’t stop at trafficking. Eads admitted to discharging a firearm during the assault of a federal officer—a charge that carried severe penalties under federal law. Keener pled guilty to aiding and abetting that same gunfire, proving her role wasn’t just as a passenger, but as a willing participant in the barrage. Both wrecked the stolen vehicle during their escape, leaving behind evidence and a community shaken by the brazen violence.
On February 22, 2018, Eads was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison. The court ordered him to pay $92,463.09 in restitution. Keener was sentenced on March 1, 2018, to 20 years behind bars and must pay $7,278.35 in restitution. United States District Court Judge Scott Skavdahl handed down the sentences without leniency, calling the actions ‘calculated, dangerous, and a direct assault on public safety.’
The investigation was a massive interagency effort, led by the Wyoming DCI and Highway Patrol, with critical support from the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office, Converse County Sheriff’s Office, Casper Police, Douglas PD, Glenrock PD, and federal partners ATF and DEA. Every agency played a role in piecing together the trail of drugs, stolen property, and ballistic evidence that sealed the convictions.
Prosecuted by United States Attorney Mark A. Klaassen and Assistant U.S. Attorney Stuart S. Healy III, the case stands as a grim reminder: drug trafficking in Wyoming doesn’t just carry a sentence—it brings gunfire, wreckage, and decades in prison. Eads and Keener made their choices. Now they’ll serve every brutal minute of them.
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Key Facts
- State: Wyoming
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime|Weapons
- Source: Official Source ↗
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