A Montezuma County investigation and search for a man suspected of forcing a female driver off the road led to an arrest Nov. 30 on Haycamp Mesa, said Sheriff Steve Nowlin.
John Austin Fusco, 37, was arrested on a probation violation and is suspected of attempted second-degree kidnapping, menacing, reckless driving and a traffic violation, according to arrest warrant affidavits.
Fusco, of Montrose, is in custody at the Montezuma County Detention Center.
A court hearing for formal charges by the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s office is set for Dec. 17.
According to Nowlin and arrest affidavits, a driver on Forest Road 556 (Haycamp Mesa) called 911 the afternoon of Nov. 25 to report she was harassed and aggressively followed by a white man in a black truck who struck her vehicle from behind and caused her to crash into an embankment.
The man approached by foot to her vehicle window and allegedly attempted to break in, but she drove away, Nowlin said. She was not injured.
Several deputies and a Colorado Parks and Wildlife official conducted a “methodical search” of Haycamp Mesa roads, San Juan National Forest land and private land in the area for the suspect and black truck.
During the investigation, loggers in the Haycamp area reported seeing a man and truck that fit the description in the area, and a witness cutting firewood reported seeing it on nearby private property.
Deputies then found a black pickup owned by Fusco with damage that was consistent with the alleged collision on the Haycamp Road, Nowlin said.
Deputies arrested Fusco for allegedly violating a bond condition that prohibited him from carrying a knife. Fusco faces additional warrants related to the Haycamp investigation.
Fusco allegedly was residing on private property in the Haycamp area without permission from the landowner, Nowlin said, and might face a charge of second-degree burglary.