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ORMSBY — A Westbrook man is charged with one felony count of possession of stolen property and one felony count of motor vehicle theft following a Jan. 25 incident.
According to the Cottonwood County Sheriff’s Office report, at approximately 7:23 a.m., officers received a call regarding a suspicious person walking along Minnesota 62 near the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources Talcot wildlife office. The individual was described as a white male in camouflage. While an officer was enroute to the location, an additional call was received informing law enforcement that a man matching the description was spotted walking on Cottonwood County 7 near Oaks Lake.
Officers eventually spotted a man matching earlier descriptions walking north and recognized the man as Jason Small, 47, which they later verified with his driver’s license. Small reportedly told officers he had spent the previous night with his girlfriend, and wanted to get back to his home in Avoca. His girlfriend “had to work,” and “only took him as far as Highway 62 and County Road 7,” the report stated.
Officers were reportedly suspicious of the story, according to the law enforcement report. They had no reason to hold Small and promptly cleared the scene, but not before dropping Small off at the corner of County Roads 13 and 7.
After returning to the Cottonwood County Law Enforcement Center, officers were informed that a pickup truck was found in a ditch on 410th Street, about a quarter of a mile east of where Small had first been reported walking. Responding to this report, officers found a silver Chevy pickup truck, as well as shoe prints embedded in the snow.
One officer noted the prints’ distinctive pattern and took a few photos — Another called the registered owner of the vehicle, who reported the truck should be at a business in Ormsby, and that nobody should be driving it.
According to the report, because Small was identified as the only suspicious person in the area, officers attempted to once again track him down, eventually finding him walking along Murray County 6, near 290th Avenue. Officers asked if Small could show them the bottom of his shoe, to which he obliged, allowing for officers to take photos.
Officers reported the shoes closely resembled the unique prints found near the pickup.
When confronted by officers, Small allegedly stated he may have walked past it, but that he didn’t know for sure. Small then reportedly described his route to officers, one which, according to the police record, “did not make sense.” They additionally made note that Small was “adamant” that his footprints couldn’t possibly be near any vehicles.
The Ormsby business later informed officers that an employee may have seen the pickup that morning before it went missing. According to the employee, who was driving into town from Butterfield at around 2:30 a.m., they had seen someone walking on the side of the road, about a mile north of Ormsby.
Thinking it strange, according to the report, the employee made a mental note of the man’s appearance, describing him as “wearing a tan, RealTree camouflage jacket and tan pants,” “shorter” and “younger.” The employee reportedly told officers they had seen the pickup truck last when they arrived at the business around 3 a.m.
The business additionally provided officers with a still photo taken from across the lot of the shop. The picture reportedly shows someone looking inside of the pickups at approximately 3:08 a.m., someone who matched the description provided earlier by the employee, and wearing what Small was reportedly observed wearing when officers initially stopped him.
Investigators swabbed the pickup for DNA, and those results were still pending when the report was filed.
If convicted, Small faces a maximum of five years in prison and/or a $10,000 fine for both felony counts of theft and possession of stolen property.
Note: This article was written based on information reported by local law enforcement agencies. The Globe reminds readers that all individuals are innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
Stewart Chisham became a reporter for The Globe in July 2023. An independent novelist and webcomic artist, Stewart has a love for all things movies, music and cryptids. He has a bachelors in Film and Mass Communications from the University of Minnesota Mankato.
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