A Durango man is in La Plata County jail after attempting to steal $15,000 worth of marijuana from a local grower on Friday night, and then attempting to run from police.

Jason Hughes, 35, was arrested and booked for first-degree burglary, and with secondary counts of felony menacing, reckless endangerment and felony eluding as a result of the incident.

La Plata County Sheriff’s Officer Sgt. David Griggs said Hughes broke into one of the growing places off Colorado Highway 172 in an attempt to steal 10 pounds of marijuana, valued at around $15,000.

Griggs said the owner of the property caught Hughes in the act. Hughes then threatened to stab the owner with scissors, and took off running.

Police pursued Hughes toward the Southwest Horizon Ranch near the intersection of U.S. Highway 160 and Colorado 172. Griggs said police lost contact with Hughes until about an hour later when he was apprehended on the 3100 block of Highway 160.

A clerk at the La Plata County jail said as of 12:30 p.m. Sunday Hughes was still in jail on a $25,000 bond. The clerk said Hughes was most recently listed as living in Durango.

Griggs said that since marijuana was legalized, these incidents are becoming more common.

“Certainly they were on the rise when medical marijuana was legalized,” he said. “But now with the recreational piece of it, we’ve certainly seen an increase. Throughout the U.S., not just La Plata County, there’s been a pretty big rise in that.”

jromeo@durangoherald.com