A Craig man was arrested for allegedly attempting to distribute methamphetamine and tampering with evidence Sept. 9, according to the arrest affidavit.

Tommy Donnell, 59, was arrested around 9:30 p.m. Sept. 9 and charged with unlawful distribution of a controlled substance, possession of a controlled substance, tampering with physical evidence and driving without a valid driver’s license.

On the evening of the arrest, a Moffat County Sheriff’s deputy “observed” Donnell driving on 4th Street in Craig and knew that he did not have a valid driver’s license from “prior contacts,” according to the affidavit.

The deputy then saw Donnell at a residence on Taylor Street “that is known to have drug activity,” the document states. Donnell was allegedly seen “messing with something” underneath the exhaust pipe of his vehicle.

When the deputy turned on his emergency lights to initiate a traffic stop, Donnell “slowed but did not stop,” and eventually parked at the fire station on the corner of Yampa Avenue and 4th Street.

“(Donnell) opened the door of his vehicle and was yelling out the door that he didn’t do anything,” the affidavit states.

Another deputy then arrived on the scene with a K-9 referred to as Prime. The K-9 then indicated a positive alert for drugs, according to the affidavit.

Law enforcement then noticed a black container on the pavement near the rear of Donnell’s vehicle. When they opened the container, they found a “small jeweler’s bag with a white crystalline substance that filled the bottom third of the bag,” suspected to be meth, the document states.

The affidavit also states that Donnell had allegedly been “caught multiple times tampering with evidence and charged due to him trying to taint or hide controlled substances” over the last four to six weeks.

After reviewing surveillance footage provided by the Craig Fire Department, law enforcement determined that the black box was not in the parking lot before Donnell parked. 

Law enforcement also found a black zip-up bag that contained a lighter, a glass pipe with burnt white residue inside, a digital scale, several small jeweler’s bags and a “small paper band aid wrapper that was taped shut and contained a dark-colored substance,” according to the document.

Donnell later “admitted” that the black box was from his car, and said that it had “probably fallen off while he was pulling into the parking spot,” the affidavit continues.

After Donnell was booked into the Moffat County Jail, the substances found tested positive for meth and weighed about 2.40 grams.

Donnell has been arrested five times in the last four to six weeks for possession of a controlled substance, the affidavit adds. 

“(Donnell’s) continued disregard for the community is evident,” the document states. “Just six days ago, (Donnell) had ran from a traffic stop and thrown a large quantity of suspected methamphetamine into a residential yard. Here we are today, and (Donnell) is found discarding another amount of methamphetamine into the public.”

On Sept. 3, Donnell was arrested and charged with tampering with physical evidence, possessing a controlled substance, obstructing police and a traffic offense, according to criminal history records provided by the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

Donnell has been arrested eight times in Colorado since June this year, according to criminal history records. Each case is currently pending in the Moffat County Combined Courts.

As of Monday morning, Donnell remains in the Moffat County Jail under a $5,000 cash or surety bond, according to the Moffat County Combined Courts clerk’s office.

Donnell’s next court appearance in this case is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Editor’s note: Every person accused of a crime is presumed to be innocent unless and until their guilt is established beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.