Two young men who had allegedly stolen a van from Pinetop, Ariz., were discovered and captured by Montezuma County Sheriff’s deputies Tuesday afternoon after a search along Colorado Highway 184.

Nancy Romero, a clerk at the Mancos Movie Machine (a gas station and car wash), reported that the two young men had pumped around $15 in gas and then left the station heading north on Highway 184 without attempting to pay.

Romero gave dispatch the vehicle’s license plate number at around 4:25 p.m., and it turned out to belong to a stolen vehicle out of Arizona, said Montezuma County Undersheriff Sam Hager on Wednesday.

"We sent all of our resources in that direction and cut off that area of the county (between Dolores and Mancos) and started searching all the roads," said Hager.

Hager said the van was found abandoned in the Hasting’s subdivision about two miles north of Mancos. "(The suspects) had taken off on foot," he said.

Two sheriff’s office K-9 units got on the track of the suspects and followed it for approximately three hours but were unable to locate the young men.

The young men, whose names and ages were not released, were taken into custody by Det. Brooks Bennett at approximately 8 p.m. Tuesday night when the suspects were seen wandering up County Road 41, Hager said.

Hager said no weapons were found in the vehicle or on the suspects, contrary to earlier warnings.