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Richard Poula Jr., 32, ultimately surrendered and was
arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence of drugs
and a host of other charges related to the incident, Boulder
County Sheriff’s Office Commander Heidi Prentup said.
According to Prentup, police outside the city of Longmont took a
call on Tuesday from a person who reported that a motorist was
stopped in the middle of a road and was beating on a car with a
pipe wrench, breaking out the windows.
“The person reporting this strange behavior decided to follow
the vehicle until deputies were able to catch up,” Prentup said,
adding that officers followed as Poula entered a canyon about
four miles from where he was first seen smashing his car.
When he reached a parking lot at a canyon trailhead, Poula
crashed into a large rock and his car went airborne, coming to
rest in a field, police said.
He then fled on foot, wading across a creek and scrambling up a
steep cliff where he perched himself in a tree about 30 feet
above the canyon floor, Prentup said.
After three hours, negotiators with the Boulder County SWAT team
persuaded Poula, who was not armed, to come down from the cliff
and give himself up, she said.
Poula was transported to the Boulder County jail where in
addition to driving under the influence, he was being held for
investigation of failure to report an accident, leaving the
scene of an accident, eluding and obstructing police, reckless
endangerment and a parole violation, jail records showed.
(Reporting by Keith Coffman; Editing by Cynthia Johnston and
Eric Beech)
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