After chase, suspected car thief caught south of Cody

Posted 2/25/21

A 27-year-old man was arrested Tuesday night after he allegedly stole an SUV from a Powell parking lot and led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase while under the influence. Authorities …

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After chase, suspected car thief caught south of Cody

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A 27-year-old man was arrested Tuesday night after he allegedly stole an SUV from a Powell parking lot and led law enforcement officers on a high-speed chase while under the influence. Authorities say the pursuit — which reportedly reached speeds of up to 122 miles per hour — ended only after Park County Sheriff’s deputies deployed spike strips south of Cody and flattened the stolen vehicle’s tires.

Garrett R. Bailey, of Butte, Montana, remained in custody at the Park County Detention Center on Wednesday as he awaited a court appearance.

He was arrested on initial misdemeanor charges of reckless endangering, fleeing police and driving while under the influence of alcohol and an unspecified controlled substance(s). But the list of charges may change by the time Bailey appears in Park County Circuit Court on Friday morning.

Bailey is a suspect in four recent vehicle thefts across three states, said Wyoming Highway Patrol Lt. Lee Pence. 

“This is probably the fourth vehicle in less than two weeks that he’s stolen,” Pence said.

Bailey initially drove a stolen vehicle from Montana to New Mexico, the lieutenant said, and was arrested in the southwest state. In that case, though, the vehicle’s owner declined to press charges and Bailey was released from jail. He was loaned another vehicle, Pence said, but he subsequently stole that ride and wrecked it — then stole a pickup belonging to the Harding County, New Mexico, government and apparently headed north.

The Wyoming Highway Patrol subsequently found Harding County’s truck abandoned along Wyo. Highway 294 on Monday morning west of Ralston; it had slid off the road amid the snowy conditions, Pence said.

Then on Tuesday night, Bailey is alleged to have stolen a 2015 Ford Edge that had been left running in the Blair’s Super Market parking lot. 

The Ford’s owner completed his roughly 10-minute shopping trip to find his vehicle was gone; he contacted Powell police at roughly 7:12 p.m.

By that point, the vehicle was nowhere to be found — it was last seen heading west — and Powell officers notified their local counterparts to be on the lookout for the SUV.

“We got the word out pretty quickly,” said Powell Police Lt. Matt McCaslin.

Shortly after 8 p.m., the Wyoming Highway Patrol spotted the stolen Ford near Beacon Hill. 

The driver initially pulled over, but he didn’t follow commands and eventually took off, Pence said, heading south on Wyo. Highway 120.

Cody police briefly assisted with the chase in town, and then “we were just on standby,” said Lt. Jason Stafford. 

“We kind of covered a couple intersections in case he came back to town — which he did not,” Stafford said.

Instead, the driver of the stolen Ford sped south down Wyo. 120 at triple-digit speeds, with troopers and sheriff’s deputies in hot pursuit.

When the driver reached Oregon Basin, he turned onto County Road 3EM and eventually lost the officers in the area, said Park County Sheriff Scott Steward.

The Ford soon came racing back to the highway — heading up the county road at speeds of 70 to 80 mph, Steward said. However, a deputy was able to puncture the vehicle’s tires with spike strips, which eventually forced Bailey to pull over.

Steward said the suspect initially claimed another man had been driving and had fled the scene before deputies arrived.

However, the sheriff said the officers checked a large area and found no other tracks in the snow. Further, although Bailey was wearing only long johns, a long sleeve shirt and socks at the time of his arrest, Steward said the officers found clothing that matched what the thief had been seen wearing in the Blair’s parking lot.

“[It] sounded like he pitched off the clothing trying to play [a trick],” Steward said, adding, “it looks like he’s experienced in this game.”

Bailey was arrested around 8:42 p.m. and booked into the Cody jail early Wednesday morning.

Hours later, the owners of the stolen Ford Edge took to social media to offer their thanks to the local law enforcement officers who tracked down their vehicle.

“We are amazed at the quick response and their persistence,” Tori Fetzer Hinojosa wrote in a Facebook post. She said the SUV received minimal damage, adding that, “We are extremely grateful and will be locking our doors — and no more quick trips inside a store thinking it’s safe!”

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