Police arrested a man in Cortez after he allegedly pointed a gun at his neighbor’s head while searching for gas cans he said were stolen from his property early Monday, Aug. 5.
When police arrived at South Oak Street about 1 a.m., they had been told by dispatch that 911 caller Steven Leigh said an unknown man with a red beard and hat had pointed a gun at him while he was in his backyard. The man had driven up to Leigh’s home in a silver Ram truck.
Sgt. Koby Guttridge and officer Vance Carver walked around the area of Oak Meadows Trailer Park, with Carver carrying Guttridge’s patrol rifle. As they approached on foot, the pair saw a truck shining its headlights at Leigh’s headlights. Someone stood in the headlights. As the officers approached, the truck drove away.
Guttridge and Carver headed back to their patrol vehicle as the truck drove north on Oak Street. Leigh told them the truck went east on Seventh Street. The truck then turned on the 400 block of West Seventh Street. As it stopped, one person began walking away from the vehicle.
Guttridge and Carver waited for other officers to arrive before apprehending Albert Tippit, the man walking away from the truck, and James Valentine, who was driving the truck.
Officers found a Springfield Armory XD-9mm with 13 live rounds on Valentine’s person. Tippit said he was walking down the street when Valentine approached him and accused him of stealing gas cans.
Leigh told Carver that he was waked up by Valentine, who was yelling about his gas cans being stolen. Leigh said he went outside to stop Valentine from entering his backyard when Valentine accused Leigh of stealing his gas cans and pointed his gun at him from an arm’s length away.
Other witnesses who were outside at the time verified Leigh’s story. After determining Tippit was not involved in the incident, he was released.
One witness said Valentine pointed his gun at him, Leigh and others who were outside, saying that “he would shoot them if they went on his property again.”
Another told police that “the man was yelling and screaming, then pulled out his gun, putting it right in Steven’s face, along with waving it around toward everyone else.”
Additional witnesses’ names were provided to police later.
Officer Brady Veach, who spoke with Valentine, had been shown a video of Tippit stealing gas cans from Valentine’s property.
“James had apparently been at 806 S. Oak St. on two previous occasions, where he recovered his stolen gas cans from previous instances. That is the reason James went over there this time,” Carver said.
While looking for his gas cans, he said he was approached by a “large group of individuals” who spit tobacco on him and allegedly threw rocks at him.
“James was describing that he was defending himself and was outnumbered 12 people to one, was not on their property, and was not in their house. James said he was not at their house. He said he did not threaten anybody. He explained he pulled out his gun when they were throwing rocks at him and spitting chew on him, while he was retreating back to his vehicle,” Carver said.
Valentine was arrested by police and taken to the Montezuma County Detention Center. Carver said they will be performing an E-Trace to determine the owner of the firearm that had been in Valentine’s possession.
