Brian McCleary, the local man responsible for hitting two deputy vehicles on County Road 14B after a K-9 indicated there were drugs in his car, allegedly possessed 247 grams of cocaine at the time of the late-October incident, according to the affidavit requesting his arrest.

According to the affidavit, Deputy Michael Smith initiated a traffic stop at the intersection of County Road 14 and County Road 14B due to speeding around 10:45 p.m. on Oct. 23. The vehicle was going 47 mph in a 40-mph zone.

The arrest was requested due to speeding, reckless driving, vehicular eluding creating a substantial risk of bodily injury by operating a vehicle in a reckless manner, assault in the second degree and unlawful distribution, manufacturing, dispensing or sale.

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The affidavit gives a detailed description of McCleary at the time of the incident, stating that he was wearing a dark-colored baseball hat, a black T-shirt and eyeglasses. The dark-colored hat had an emblem on the front and a light-colored spot on the underside of the brim, says the affidavit.

During the traffic stop, Deputy Travis Bedell arrived on the scene with a K-9 referred to as Cleo. 

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“K-9 Cleo gave a positive alert to the odor of illegal narcotics,” states the affidavit. “Deputy Smith asked McCleary to turn off his vehicle and step out.”

According to the affidavit, McCleary, a 46-year-old South Routt County resident, “immediately became uncooperative” and “refused to comply with deputies’ commands” before fleeing the scene.

Sgt. Jacob Carlson and Sgt. Bryan Wojtkiewicz were in the area of the traffic stop. When McCleary fled the scene, Carlson turned on his emergency lights and Wojtkiewicz began to follow McCleary’s vehicle.

The affidavit does not indicate why Carlson and Wojtkiewicz were in the area at the time of the incident.

McCleary eventually came to a stop, which is when Carlson positioned the front end of his vehicle to be in contact with the front of McCleary’s vehicle. Wojtkiewicz pinned McCleary’s vehicle from the rear.

McCleary then pressed the gas “to full throttle” while stuck between the two deputy vehicles, says the affidavit.

“Deputies got out of their vehicles and began giving McCleary verbal commands,” the affidavit states. “McCleary’s driver-side window was down at this point and deputies attempted to use less lethal force but McCleary rolled up the window. Deputies attempted to break McCleary’s driver-side window without success and the vehicle’s doors were locked.”

McCleary’s vehicle pushed Carlson’s vehicle, then he reversed and “slammed” into Wojtkiewicz’s vehicle. According to the affidavit, Wojtkiewicz had to “move out of the doorframe of his vehicle and the path of McCleary’s vehicle to avoid the risk of injury.”

The affidavit further states that McCleary “rammed” Carlson’s and Wojtkiewicz’s vehicles “numerous times” before escaping into a field and then heading southbound on County Road 14.

Deputies later found McCleary’s vehicle abandoned on Valley View Lane and started searching surrounding properties; however, they did not locate him.

Ground searches, thermal imaging and negotiation attempts made to contact McCleary were all unsuccessful. Detective Jackson obtained a search warrant later in the evening, which allowed law enforcement to search McCleary’s residence, structures and vehicles on his property. McCleary was not found at any of these locations.

Carlson and Deputy Aaron Clock found a dark hat a half mile away from his abandoned vehicle. Near the hat, deputies also found a “clear plastic water-tight container,” says the affidavit.

“Within the plastic container was a paper McDonald’s bag,” the document continues. “Within the McDonald’s bag was a clear plastic bag with a large quantity of a white powdery substance within.”

The plastic container and its contents were placed into evidence. On Oct. 24, the white substance tested positive for cocaine. The total amount processed into evidence came to 247 grams. 

According to Detective Whitney Jackson, this amount of cocaine “is consistent with distribution.”

The affidavit states that the black hat found is consistent with the one McCleary was wearing during the initial traffic stop. 

McCleary’s next court hearing is set for 1:45 p.m. Tuesday, with McCleary to appear virtually from Routt County Jail.