Peppermint schnapps and meth

At approximately 2:29 a.m. Feb. 9, a Rifle Police Department officer made contact with a Dodge Durango parked at a gas station.

According to the arrest affidavit, the vehicle’s rear license plate was expired and the driver, a 31-year-old man, had been driving erratically before pulling into the parking lot.

Upon making contact with the vehicle’s three occupants, the officer noticed the driver’s eyes were bloodshot and watery and further described him as having “rapid hand gestures” and being particularly talkative.

The vehicle’s two other passengers requested to leave, and the officer allowed them to do so.

After it was confirmed that the 31-year-old man’s driving privileges had been revoked, the driver was placed under arrest.

According to the affidavit, the man informed the officer of syringes in the vehicle’s center console and that “one of the needles could be loaded.”

Additionally, the man stated there was a bottle of alcohol under the driver’s seat, which one of the passengers had been drinking “due to pain on his fingers.”

According to the affidavit, an open bottle of peppermint schnapps and 10.7 grams of a white crystalline substance that tested positive for methamphetamine were later located inside the Dodge Durango.

The 31-year-old driver was transported to the Garfield County Jail and charged with driving with expired plates, failure to provide proof of insurance, having an open alcohol container in a motor vehicle, unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of drug paraphernalia and DUI.

Running with a 9-inch blade

Shortly before 11 p.m. Feb. 4, officers with the Rifle Police Department contacted three individuals in the city’s Civic Plaza park area after hours.

According to the arrest affidavit, an officer recognized one of the individuals, a 19-year-old man, from “multiple previous law enforcement contacts.”

The 19-year-old man had a Bluetooth speaker clipped to his belt loop and a pocketknife clipped inside his right pocket, which the officer removed.

After providing what was believed to be a false name and a fake high school ID, the officer informed the 19-year-old man “falsely identifying was illegal.”

Upon verifying the man’s actual identity through the Colorado Crime Information Center, the officer informed the individual that he was under arrest.

However, “the [19-year-old man] turned around and immediately began running away” according to the affidavit.

Officers were able to arrest the man after he stumbled and “hit the ground really hard” attempting to retrieve items he had dropped.

One of the items was the Bluetooth speaker and the other was an “extremely large, fixed blade knife.”

According to the affidavit the knife had a blade length of approximately 9 inches and a total length of 15 inches.

It was also discovered that the 19-year-old man had two previous felony convictions for second-degree arson and criminal mischief.

The 19-year-old man was transported to the Garfield County Jail and charged with assault in the second-degree, possession of weapons by a previous offender, criminal impersonation, unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon, resisting arrest and obstructing a peace officer.

mabennett@postindependent.com