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Fugitive caught near Silverton being held on federal warrants

Popular campground cleared Sunday during search
Jackson

A Colorado Springs man with multiple felony warrants was taken into custody without incident Sunday night after a nine-hour manhunt in the San Juan National Forest.

Nicholas Jackson, 26, was being held Monday in the La Plata County Jail without bail.

The incident started during the day when someone reported a man and a woman possibly stealing wood from a stacked pile at the South Mineral Campground near Silverton, said San Juan County Sheriff Bruce Conrad.

After making contact with the couple, it was learned that Jackson had felony warrants from Indiana and the Virgin Islands for “dangerous drugs.” After realizing he was going to be arrested, Jackson ran across Mineral Creek and into the wilderness, where he remained for nine hours, Conrad said.

Deputies called a K-9 unit and beat through the bushes for a while, but eventually decided to let the cold temperatures drive him out, which worked, Conrad said.

“We basically let Mother Nature do the work,” he said. “It was a pretty long day for us.”

Jackson, who is fairly large, has a history of resisting arrest and dangerous contacts with law enforcement, Conrad said, so law enforcement decided to clear the popular campground and close a section of the road, which services the Ice Lakes trailhead.

“It kind of ruined the day for a lot of folks,” Conrad said.

Jackson did not have any weapons and did not struggle with law enforcement after turning himself in.

“He was at gunpoint, but he was very cooperative,” Conrad said.

The couple was taking a vacation from Colorado Springs. The woman apparently had no idea Jackson had a criminal past, Conrad said.

“I don’t believe his lady had any awareness of his warrants or background whatsoever. In fact, she was quite surprised,” he said. “I think he just felt like he was far enough away from them (warrants) and has been out of that life for the last couple of years that he felt like that was behind him.”

shane@durangoherald.com

May 22, 2016
Dangerous fugitive apprehended in San Juan County, Colorado


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