Car theft suspect apprehended by Pueblo Co. Sheriff’s Office K9 ‘Edo’

PUEBLO WEST, Colo. (KRDO) -- A car theft suspect was arrested Sunday afternoon after Pueblo County Sheriff's Office (PCSO) K9 Edo and his handler, Master Deputy Benito Martinez found him hiding in a ditch in Pueblo West.

The PCSO said deputies responded to an auto theft on Sunday afternoon at the Big R store in Pueblo West. The owner of the vehicle said he was loading things into his Mazda3 when a man jumped in and drove away westbound on Highway 50. The vehicle was found abandoned about a mile down the road on Highway 50.

A man working in the area told deputies he saw the driver park and walk out into a nearby field. K9 Edo and Deputy Martinez responded to the area and found the man hiding in a ditch. The man was ordered to crawl out of the ditch and was taken into custody without incident, the PCSO said.

The man found in the ditch has been identified as 41-year-old Nathan Maxwell. According to the PCSO, Maxwell told deputies he thought he asked the victim if he could borrow the vehicle and the victim told him he could. Maxwell then said as he was driving he began feeling remorseful, so he parked the vehicle on the highway in a location where it could be easily found.

The PCSO said Maxwell was arrested for aggravated motor vehicle theft and booked into the Pueblo County Jail.