Last Friday, Deputy Sheriff Ben Adair attempted to stop a black Chevrolet sedan for a minor traffic violation on US 5O near Poncha Springs.  As Deputy Adair turned his patrol car around to make the stop the sedan sped up, ran a stop sign, and turned onto Hulbert Avenue in Poncha Springs where the deputy lost sight of the vehicle.

A few minutes later the deputy spotted the vehicle parked at the side of 105 Evans Avenue; it was unoccupied.  The deputy ran the car’s license plate and discovered the plate had been reported stolen.  A check of the car’s vehicle identification number revealed that the car had been reported stolen also. 

With the assistance of two Salida police officers, Deputy Adair knocked on the front door of the house.  After several minutes the door was opened by a woman, Jamie Vazquez, 35, the resident.  Also present in the house was 18-year-old Jacob Jay Arellano-Owens.  Both denied any knowledge of the sedan or driving it earlier.

Additional deputies arrived and conducted a cursory search of the house.  On the rear deck they found an unlatched door leading to a crawl space beneath.  Deputies yelled for anyone inside to come out or tear gas would be thrown in.  At that, a woman later identified as Yolanda Lovette, 28, emerged from the space.  She denied that anyone else was with her.  On verbal orders from deputies however, a second subject emerged from the crawl space.  He was identified as Elijah Patterson, 34.

After a DOC working dog was deployed into the crawl space to determine that no other persons were present, deputies armed with a search warrant for the residence found a set of car keys in the crawl space.  They are believed to match the stolen car parked adjacent to the house.

Evidence collected during the search of the house included a backpack in which was found a loaded 9mm handgun, marijuana, methamphetamine, drug paraphernalia, cell phones, and a digital camera.  All were seized for further analysis.

Patterson is alleged to have been the driver of the car and Lovette the passenger at the time the car was first spotted by Deputy Adair.  Patterson was found to be wanted on an arrest warrant from Colorado Springs for parole violation.

Arrested and jailed were:

** Elijah Patterson, 34, of Colorado Springs on charges of aggravated motor vehicle theft, possession of illegal drugs with intent to distribute, vehicular eluding, and possession of a firearm by a previous offender, all felonies.  He was also charged with theft of a license plate and driving under revocation, both misdemeanors; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a petty offense.   He was held on bond of $15,000.

** Yolanda Lovette, 28, of Security, Colorado on charges of accessory to crime and unlawful possession of a controlled substance, both felonies; false reporting, a misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a petty offense.  Bond was set at $1,000.

** Jacob Jay Arellano-Owens, 18, of Colorado Springs on charges of accessory to a crime, a felony; and false reporting, a misdemeanor.  Bond is $1,000.

**Jaime Lynne Vazquez, 35, of Poncha Springs on charges of possession of illegal drugs with intent to distribute and accessory to a crime, both felonies; false reporting, a misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a petty offence.  Her bond was set at $15,000.

Investigation is continuing in this case.