At approximately 5:14 p.m. Feb. 7, the owner of a black Ford F150 reported his vehicle stolen. According to the reporting party, the vehicle was stolen “with the key that he kept in the center console.”

About an hour-and-a-half later, dispatch advised that the reporting party’s wife saw her husband’s vehicle parked outside the Glenwood Springs Mall, according to an arrest affidavit in the case.

Additionally, the reporting party’s wife saw the suspect walking into the mall wearing her husband’s work jacket, the affidavit stated.

An officer with the Glenwood Springs Police Department who was patrolling the area behind the Glenwood Springs Mall, pulled up and instructed the male suspect – attempting to walk away from the vehicle – to instead walk to the front of the mall and sit on a bench.

When the officer questioned the 30-year-old male as to where he had gotten the alleged stolen vehicle, he stated he had borrowed it from his friend who he described as, “a tall, Caucasian male, with tattoos everywhere,” the affidavit read.

The owner of the vehicle, however, said he did not know of anyone fitting that description.

The owner of the vehicle also stated that, “the half eaten box of chicken, [Mountain Dew] soda, job application form, miscellaneous tolls, and cigarettes in the cab of the vehicle,” did not belong to him.

The suspect was subsequently placed under arrest and lodged at the Garfield County Jail. He was ultimately charged with theft, in addition to harassment for allegedly shoving the vehicle owner’s wife “repeatedly” while attempting to flee the scene, according to the affidavit.

SEARCH TURNS UP METH, AND MORE

At approximately 11:56 p.m. Feb. 13, an officer with the Rifle Police Department initiated a traffic stop on a black Ford van for a reported “failure to properly illuminate with a white light the rear registration plate and render it clearly legible from a distance of 50 feet to the rear.”

According to the affidavit, when speaking to the 33-year-old male driver and the 26-year-old male passenger, the officer observed that “both parties appeared extremely nervous.”

After allegedly evading the officers’ questions, one of the officers “observed a small baggie sticking out of the top of a black shoe behind the driver’s seat,” according to the affidavit.

When asked what was in the baggie, the driver allegedly emptied the baggie out before showing it to the officers.

According to the affidavit, the driver did not answer when asked what he emptied from the bag.

Eventually, the driver “told [officers] he dumped pieces of broken meth pipes into the shoe,” and consented to a voluntary search of the vehicle.

After cooperating with police, the passenger was free to go.

When officers subsequently searched a backpack belonging to the vehicle’s driver, they found “several pairs of women’s panties, a dark-colored ski mask with holes cut out for the eyes and two lock picks.”

Also found in the vehicle was “a large bolt cutter, binoculars and a hand-held radio,” according to the affidavit. During the search, officers additionally discovered a BB gun and baggies containing substances that later tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine.

The 33-year-old male was subsequently placed under arrest and booked into the Garfield County Jail on charges of unlawful possession of a controlled substance, possession of burglary tools, possession of drug paraphernalia, compulsory insurance and [defective] tail lamps and reflectors, according to the report.

mabennett@postindependent.com