On Wednesday, a Silt police officer observed a vehicle leaving the Kum N Go on Main Street just after 2:30 a.m. without its headlights on, according to an arrest affidavit on file with Garfield District Court.

The officer made the traffic stop a few blocks later and requested the drivers’ license, insurance and registration.

“While I was speaking to the driver, I observed his eyes were pink, I could smell an odor of burnt marijuana and there was a small bag filled with marijuana in the door handle on the driver side,” the affidavit states.

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The driver said the last time he smoked marijuana had been a couple of days ago, the officer reported. The driver also said that he did not have a license on him. When the officer pressed the issue, he admitted his license had been revoked.

After running the driver’s name through dispatch the officer found that he was revoked with four additional offenses.

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The officer then had the suspect perform voluntary roadside maneuvers to check for impairment.

After completing the test, the officer requested a drug recognition expert and arrested the driver, 30, for further DUI investigation, according to the affidavit.

The expert said he believed the driver was impaired by a central nervous stimulant and he was unsafe to operate a motor vehicle on public roadways.

The driver admitted to using methamphetamine the day before, the affidavit states.

During an inventory of the vehicle, a white crystal was found on the floor of the driver side of vehicle. It tested positive for methamphetamine, the affidavit also stated.

Also on the floorboard there was a small baggy that was ripped open and had miniscule amounts of a white crystal like substance, the affidavit states.

The driver was charged with possession of a controlled substance and tampering with evidence, among other charges.

Roundabout look leads to arrest

Just before 11 a.m. March 14, a Rifle police officer noticed a car enter the roundabout off Airport Road at Taughenbaugh Boulevard. When the driver saw the officer he was clearly panicked, according to the affidavit.

The officer indicated he knew the driver, 50, from previous altercations and knew he had a revoked driver’s status. Both he and the passenger in the vehicle were known to the Rifle Police Department for narcotics use and distribution, states the affidavit.

After letting the passenger off on Ninth Street, the vehicle kept going for a few more blocks until coming to a halt in the 200 block of South Ninth Street.

The driver jumped out and tried to run before police grabbed him, states the affidavit.

During a search of the suspect, police found a black cloth bag in his pocket containing heroin.  

That and other narcotics found later weighed at over 23 grams of heroin and 9 grams of methamphetamine.

Police later found more drugs and a handgun in the vehicle.

The man was charged with possession of an illegal weapon, possession of a controlled substance and driving under restraint, among other charges.