CORTEZ – A man suspected of killing an elderly couple in Williams, Arizona, was arrested Friday night in south Cortez after a chase involving officers from three regional law enforcement agencies, the Colorado State Patrol announced on Monday.
The suspect, identified as 29-year-old Derrick S. Barnett, of Grand Junction, was arrested about 10 p.m. on U.S. Highway 491 near mile marker 37, in the area of Lotsa Pasta and That’za Pizza restaurant in Cortez, according to Colorado State Patrol Capt. Adrian Driscoll.
Officers from the state patrol and the Dolores and Montezuma county sheriff’s offices were involved in the pursuit.
About 9:47 p.m., the officers began pursuing Barnett’s 1978 Dodge Power Wagon on Highway 491, near mile marker 49, north of County Road EE, in Montezuma County.
Members of the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office deployed tire deflation devices on U.S. 491 near County Road BB to slow Barnett’s vehicle. The chase continued, and CSP officer Charlie Jones pushed the Dodge sideways to a stop near the pizza restaurant, at 1020 S. Broadway.
Barnett was arrested without incident. He sustained minor injuries but was treated at Southwest Memorial Hospital and released to authorities.
He is being held at the Montezuma County Jail pending extradition to Arizona.
Barnett is accused of felony eluding, reckless driving and driving under revocation. Barnett also had multiple warrants for his arrest.
In Arizona, Coconino County Sheriff Jim Driscoll announced the arrest during a 10 a.m. meeting with residents in Red Lake, Arizona. More than 200 people attended the meeting, according to the Daily Miner newspaper in Kingman.
According to the Daily Miner, Driscoll said his office had received a tip on Friday that a potential suspect in the May 1 killings of Michael Dimuria, 67, and his wife Nora, 64, was heading to Colorado.
The couple’s 2006 Jeep Liberty was found by residents near the Dolores River without license plates and apparently abandoned, Driscoll said.
