A 26-year-old man apparently ditched a stolen car after leading police on a lengthy chase Saturday, then quickly stole another and was arrested after he approached a trooper, authorities said.
Greg Jewell was booked into Weld County Jail and is being held on $35,000 bail.
“It seems like something straight out of the world’s dumbest criminal manual,” said Sgt. Jeff Goodwin, a spokesman for the Colorado State Patrol.
Just after 1 p.m. Saturday, state troopers began receiving reports about a black Ford Focus ramming into other cars on southbound Interstate 25 in Weld County, Goodwin said.
Trooper Robert Boyce pulled the car over, but just as he was getting out of his car, the Focus sped off toward Lafayette on Colorado 7.
In an effort to stop the car, Boyce’s vehicle collided with the Focus, which was later determined to be stolen, Goodwin said. But the driver took off again as a female passenger, Angela Lucero, 26, was getting out of the Focus. Lucero was not injured.
Goodwin said Jewell abandoned the Focus, stole a red Chevy pickup and then left that vehicle in a cemetery parking lot at I-25 and Colorado 7.
He then walked back to Boyce, who was with Lucero, and claimed to have been a passenger in the Focus, authorities said.
“I have no idea why someone with such a lengthy criminal record would approach the trooper after that,” Goodwin said.
Jewell has an arrest record dating to January 1999, with many drug and traffic arrests but also an assault arrest. He could face additional charges of car theft, vehicular eluding, driving under the influence, assault and being a habitual offender.
Lucero was arrested and booked into the Weld County Jail.
