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Crime Briefs: Teen arrested in forgery, robbery cases

Ryan Summerlin
rsummerlin@postindependent.com

A 19-year-old recently picked up a pair of felony cases, the first alleging forgery and theft and the second for robbery and menacing.

The earlier case started when his employer at a ranch near Silt called the sheriff’s office May 29, saying that he had stolen from her. She found some cash and a credit card missing. And when she had an opportunity to check the youth’s wallet, she found a forged check of hers written to his account for $675.

The young man was riding a horse at the ranch at the time. When a sheriff’s sergeant approached him, he admitted having taken some items without paying from Gopher Foods after arguing with a clerk.



He was also suspected in an earlier theft and a hit and run from earlier that day. While driving his father’s truck, he might have hit another car, he said, but he was in such a hurry that he wasn’t paying attention. The sergeant noted some damage to the truck and confiscated a marijuana container from the vehicle.

In this case, he was arrested on felony forgery, misdemeanor theft and petty offense possession of marijuana by a minor.



Then on June 13, Silt police got a call about a disturbance.

The same 19-year-old’s sister told police that he had pulled a hunting knife on her during an argument. She said he had been arguing with their parents for days over $100 he claimed they owed him. He persisted and asked his mother to give him the money, but the mother said they didn’t have it.

He then “became very irate” and pulled out a 9-inch stainless steel knife, according to an affidavit. He “moved the knife near her face and stated he was powered by Satan and there was nothing she or the police could do to stop him.”

His sister intervened and told him to leave, which he eventually did, saying “he was going to take everyone down.” He was later picked up by Parachute police and arrested on felony robbery and menacing, along with misdemeanor criminal attempt.

Leg room anger

Glenwood Springs police responded to reports of a man at a Greyhound stop in Glenwood hurling rocks at a bus early June 9.

Reports were that he’d shattered the windshield.

The 65-year-old man was apparently angry with the bus service for not offering enough leg room. While on the bus he started yelling obscenities at the driver, according to police. He was asked to get off the bus, and once outside he started picking up rocks.

A passenger started recording him with his cell phone, and the 65-year-old responded by screaming obscenities and throwing a rock at him, nearly hitting him, according to a police report.

After the driver told him to “knock it off” he hurled the rock that broke the windshield. He then went and sat by a light pole, lit a cigarette and waited for police to arrive, according to the report.

He was arrested on charges of aggravated menacing and criminal mischief, both felonies, along with hindering transportation and reckless endangerment, both misdemeanors, and petty offense “throwing missiles at vehicles.”

WHOSE CAR IS IT?

A 19-year-old man reported to Glenwood Springs police on June 9 that a man had stolen his 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix, which also had a 12-gauge shotgun inside.

The homeless 19-year-old was given the car by another man, and he had been living out of the Grand Prix. When the teenager got the vehicle, there were some miscellaneous items inside. After a couple of weeks of not being able to find the owner, he sold some of the items and tossed the rest.

However, he later found out these items, some of them camping supplies, belonged to a 37-year-old man, who was now looking for his things.

On June 9 in the Safeway parking lot, the 37-year-old man approached the teenager, saying the young man owed him for the items in the car. He told the young man that he was going to “take the car or you’ll end up in a ditch on the side of the road,” according to an affidavit.

He then drove the young man away to a parking lot behind a convenience store and dropped him off, demanding the $90 the 19-year-old had on him, the teenager told police.

Authorities found the 37-year-old had a history of felony convictions including assault, drug possession and flight to escape prosecution. For the latter two convictions, he was on probation.

Police later found the vehicle in the Cooper Avenue parking garage and the suspect among a group of people in Centennial Park. He told officers that he had borrowed the car.

He was arrested on felony charges of robbery, aggravated motor vehicle theft and possession of a weapon by a previous offender, along with misdemeanor theft.

Man threatens officer

A 42-year-old man with three active warrants, two for misdemeanors and one felony, was spotted by Glenwood police the evening of June 10, and he subsequently picked up a couple new felony charges of criminal impersonation and attempt to influence a public servant.

An officer spotted the man who appeared to be trying to hide from the patrol car. The man then walked into an apartment laundry room and pretended to be getting something in the dryer, the officer wrote in his report. The officer approached the man, who repeatedly refused to stay put and gave a false name, according to police. Another officer came on scene and recognized the man, positively identifying him as the 42-year-old with active warrants.

After officers took him into custody, he reportedly shouted various obscenities, threatening one of the officers and making statements to the effect of the officer had something coming to him and that he had a plan for the officer.

He was arrested on new felony charges of criminal impersonation and attempt to influence a public servant.


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