Craig police arrest third suspect on vehicle theft, other felony charges

May 27, 2023

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A call to police about a missing Salvation Army bucket set out for Christmastime donations led to a Craig man being arrested on a host of felony and misdemeanor charges Wednesday Dec. 18, some of those charges possibly connected to at least two stolen vehicles.

Richard Carl Large, 37, was arrested on felony charges of menacing assault (non-family with a gun), tampering with a motor vehicle, third degree burglary, aggravated motor vehicle theft, first degree criminal trespass, three counts of violation of bail bond conditions, and misdemeanor charges of domestic violence, criminal attempt, theft of less than $50, theft of less than $300, and unlawfully carrying a concealed weapon.

According to an arrest affidavit regarding the burglary, theft of less than $50, and criminal attempt case, police were looking for Large in connection to two possible stolen vehicle cases and a domestic violence case until he was found Dec. 18 with a large black backpack while a Craig Police Department officer was on patrol approximately 11:09 a.m. near Seventh Street and Taylor Street.

About 5 minutes after stopping Large on foot, a call came into dispatch reporting a theft had just occurred at a grocery store nearby, so police placed Large under arrest on charges related to the vehicle theft case.

In that case, police said an employee at a local grocery store called Nov. 27 after their car came up missing from the parking lot in broad daylight. Police soon pulled surveillance video from the store they say used to track down Large and at least two other possible accomplices involved in the theft. The car was found by the Craig Police Department and returned to its owner. About two weeks later, police say Large damaged the alleged accomplice's vehicle so badly it had to be towed to a safer location. Upon further investigation, police determined the alleged accomplice in the vehicle theft case didn't want to be romantically involved with Large anymore, so she broke things off.

The arrest affidavit said this sparked Large's behavior to change for the worse, especially after Large came to the home where they were and threatened them with a small, pink .38 special revolver, "the pink lady" allegedly taken from Large's family member.

"…while Richard was pointing the revolver at (the victim), he was stating he was going to kill everyone inside of the residence," the victim told police in the affidavit.

The victim/alleged accomplice told police around the same time after they ended their intimate relationship, their Chevy Trailblazer was vandalized – a tire slashed and the interior badly damaged. The victim-accomplice told police they suspected it was Large who damaged the vehicle.

On Wednesday once Large was in custody, police said they did a search of his large black backpack and found "the pink lady" .38 special revolver along with a Salvation Army donation bucket that "still had money inside and a brass lock attached to a hasp," according to the affidavit.

The affidavit said police also found a lockout kit they say was stolen from the grocery store employee's Ford Explorer at the end of November.

"I recognized this pump wedge as an item stolen from the lockout kit inside the Ford Explorer," police said in the affidavit. "The lockout kit was taken during the original motor vehicle theft."

Large was booked into the Moffat County Jail Dec. 18 and issued cash or surety bonds totaling $2,250. His next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 23 at 1 p.m. in Moffat County courtroom 2M.

May 16, 2023

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