U.S. Highway 160 between Bayfield and Pagosa Springs was temporarily closed Monday morning while authorities attempted to arrest a drunken man walking along the road shooting a firearm.
Colorado State Patrol Capt. Adrian Driscoll said around 7 a.m. a trooper spotted the man walking down the shoulder of Highway 160, shooting a rifle into the air around mile markers 117-120, near Yellow Jacket.
Driscoll said the man, identified as 28-year-old Henry Goldstein of Bayfield was not shooting in the direction of the road.
While the trooper waited for backup, Driscoll said Goldstein fled into the woods, prompting a manhunt that shut down Highway 160 for about an hour.
“We didn’t want people driving through the area while he was on the loose,” he said.
Around 8:30 a.m., Goldstein was taken into custody without incident and taken to the La Plata County Jail. The firearm was recovered, Driscoll said.
Authorities are unsure why Goldstein was walking the highway, shooting the gun, Driscoll said. Goldstein apparently lives not far from Yellow Jacket, he said.
Goldstein was arrested on suspicion of reckless endangerment, prohibited use of a weapon for shooting from a public highway and possession of a firearm while under the influence of alcohol/drugs.
Driscoll said Goldstein had other outstanding warrants out for his arrest.
jromeo@durangoherald.com
