On Tuesday, Brian McCleary — the subject of an intense search by Routt County law enforcement officials last Wednesday and Thursday after allegedly ramming two sheriff’s office vehicles — appeared for a virtual status conference from Routt County Jail to discuss lowering his bond.

According to District Attorney Matt Karzen, McCleary’s bond was set at $200,000 at a bond hearing last Friday.

The defense requested the bond be lowered to $25,000 due to McCleary’s previous compliance in appearing for other court hearings. It was also stated by the defense that McCleary has lived in Routt County for 23 years, is a landowner and homeowner and does not own a gun.

Judge Wilson expressed concern regarding McCleary’s significant alleged offenses and denied the request to lower the bond to $25,000. The judge, however, did agree to lower the amount to $150,000. 

The Routt County Sheriff’s Office conducted a near-48-hour search for McCleary after a police dog indicated a positive alert during a traffic stop last Wednesday night. McCleary then allegedly rammed two deputy vehicles and drove away before a deputy allegedly shot at his tire to disable his vehicle.

A shelter-in-place order was requested for the surrounding area around 9:30 p.m., encompassing many neighborhoods in southern Routt County. The shelter-in-place order was lifted just after 2:30 a.m. Thursday.

The 46-year-old McCleary was arrested at 9:07 a.m. last Friday after turning himself in to Routt County Jail.

During the status conference, dashcam footage was presented by the prosecution to support its opposition to the request to lower the bond to $25,000.

The dashcam footage showed McCleary’s initial attempt at escaping officers, then his vehicle ramming into two other police vehicles when he was cornered. Deputies got out of their vehicles with guns drawn, then McCleary drove off into a field.

The footage did not show an officer shooting at McCleary’s tire to disable his vehicle.

Steamboat Pilot & Today staff requested bodycam footage from the initial traffic stop; however the incident is currently under internal investigation and the footage is not currently available for release, according to the Routt County Sheriff’s Office records supervisor.

According to Sheriff Doug Scherar, drugs were found in the area at the time of the incident. The sheriff’s office has obtained a search warrant for McCleary’s impounded car, but Scherar said the vehicle has not yet been investigated.

McCleary’s next court hearing is scheduled for Nov. 6. He is expected to again appear virtually from Routt County Jail.

Correction: This article has been updated to reflect that McCleary’s initial bond was set at $200,000.