Weld County residents had a brief scare this morning as sheriff’s deputies from three jurisdictions chased and captured a heavily armed man on foot.
A reverse 9-1-1 call alerted residents of northern Weld County of the chase after witnesses saw the man park his truck and take off through the fields with a long gun.
Authorities had been chasing the man from Kimball County, NE, across the state line into Logan County and then into Weld County. Officers found his 1992 Ford pickup on Colorado Highway 71, southeast of the Wyoming, Nebraska and Colorado state lines. A search of his truck turned up a small amount of methamphetamine and a large amount of ammunition.
At dawn, officers found Mark Harken, 24, of Aplington, IA, hiding in a ravine dressed in camouflage clothing. He was armed with a .22 caliber rifle, a 12-gauge shotgun and a 480 revolver, according to the Weld County Sheriff’s office.
Harken was arrested and charged with eluding authorities and possession of methamphetamines. He was booked into the Weld County jail.
