Foot chases, scuffles, and flushing ‘em out are the words that describe how Bennie Valencia spent part of last Saturday.

Early in the evening of April 15, Valencia heard a disturbance in the garage area of his business, located at 7500 South U.S. Highway 666. Calling out his wife’s name, Valencia said he entered the shop, only to discover a man with a backpack, allegedly absconding with a tool box. When confronted, the stranger fled on foot and Valencia said he followed hiim.

Valencia called out to his neighbor for help, and then reportedly shouted to the neighbor’s dog: "Get him!" Faced with the canine, the suspect paused. Valencia then managed to collar the man, check him for weapons, and demand identification, which the suspect provided.

At that point, Valencia said a scuffle ensued. Montezuma County Sheriff’s Lt. Detective Kalvin Boggs said that the suspect struck Valencia with a crescent wrench as the angry property owner held him by his shirt front. When Valencia reached for his phone to dial 911, the suspect escaped again.

Boggs said several law enforcement officers were already in the area, responding to reports of a suspicious person in the vicinity of ABC Trailer Sales who had allegedly broken into a vehicle at that business. Deputies Jason Spruell and Eric Trap of the Montezuma County Sheriff’s Office responded, along with officers Brent Powell, Gary Gatzke and Brad Milligan of the Cortez Police, in a mutual assist.

Boggs said that while officers were investigating the vehicle break-in, a phone call from a resident informed them that an apparently intoxicated individual had entered the garage of a home near ABC Trailer Sales. Upon arriving at the business, the men were informed by Rita Higgins that she had caught a man in her garage attempting to steal a 30-pack of beer. Higgins told the officers that she scared the man off by yelling at him, and the suspect fled towards AAA Storage, Valencia’s business.

While Higgins was reporting the incident to Powell, Boggs said the suspect made an impromptu appearance, and both Higgins and Powell observed a suspect running north of Higgins’ residence. The officers and Valencia pursued the man into a canyon area northeast of AAA Storage. The man matched the description Higgins and Valencia had provided, according to a police report in the case.

The suspect was apprehended and arrested without further incident. He has been identified as Eric Begay, 22, of Sanostee, N.M., and has been charged with first-degree burglary, second-degree burglary, and second-degree assault.