Byren Powell, 28, was captured and arrested after a five-hour manhunt last week in the Rustic Ridge neighborhood after a fire destroyed a home on County Road 27.
Powell has been charged with aggravated motor vehicle theft less than $20,000, second-degree burglary, and first-degree arson. Bond has been set at $20,000, according to Montezuma County Sheriff Steve Nowlin.
Deputies apprehended the man about 8 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 12 on County Road 26 after a resident reported that a suspicious person was in the area.
“He is in custody and has arrest warrants. It was important to find him,” Nowlin said. “His last known address was in Towaoc.”
According to a sheriff’s report, Powell’s father reported that his son called and said he was being chased by armed gunmen.
Deputies searched the area by foot and vehicle, and an aircraft was called in from San Juan County, New Mexico, to assist in the search.
A truck stolen from the residence was found a half-mile away, high-centered and still running.
The house that burned belonged to Thomas and Lorna Gift, who were away when the fire started. There were no injuries, and three dogs and a cat escaped the fire through a dog door.
The Dolores Fire Department responded to the fire about 3 p.m. after a passerby reported smoke coming from windows and the roof, said Dolores Fire Chief Mike Zion.
“When I pulled up, fire had spread to the roof and was coming out the walls,” he said. “They had a nice place and lost everything.”
The Colorado Bureau of Investigation was called in to assist with the fire investigation.
