San Juan County deputies impound truck after burglary suspect calls for roadside assistance

• Derryck Gosnell, 23, of Bloomfield, was charged on June 16 with a second-degree felony count of larceny, a fourth-degree felony count of non-residential burglary and a petty misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property, according to the criminal complaint.
• The defendant allegedly stole $22,885 in Hilcorp Energy Company property on May 15 in the Blanco area, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.
• His preliminary hearing is set for the morning of July 22 in Farmington Magistrate Court.

FARMINGTON — Law enforcement officers accused a Bloomfield man of stealing about $23,000 worth of oil field equipment after he called the county emergency dispatch center seeking help with his stranded pickup truck, which contained the allegedly stolen goods.

San Juan County Sheriff's deputies responded and called a tow truck — which took the vehicle to an impound yard so they could get a search warrant.

Derryck Gosnell, 23, was charged on June 16 with a second-degree felony count of larceny, a fourth-degree felony count of non-residential burglary and a petty misdemeanor count of criminal damage to property, according to the criminal complaint.

He was arrested on July 10, according to court documents.

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The defendant is accused of stealing $22,885 worth of property from a locked Hilcorp Energy Company storage container on May 15 in the Blanco area, according to the arrest warrant affidavit.

Tyson Quail, Gosnell’s attorney, declined to comment on the case.

The investigation was launched on May 15 by the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. A detective was notified around 11 p.m. that evening about a man who had possibly burglarized a nearby oilfield storage facility in the Blanco area, around County Road 4800 and U.S. Highway 64, and may have been in possession of a large amount of stolen property.

Gosnell had called dispatch, stating his pickup truck was stuck on the side of the road and he needed assistance. Responding deputies saw about 15 to 20 cardboard boxes in the bed of the truck and the cab, with shipping labels addressed to Hilcorp Energy Company.

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Gosnell initially told deputies he was helping a neighbor move, then stated he inherited the boxes from a dead relative, according to court documents. When a deputy asked to look at the boxes, Gosnell replied he couldn’t without a search warrant. The pickup truck was impounded and towed to the Sherriff’s Office in order for the agency to obtain a search warrant.

Interviews with Hilcorp employees determined the boxes were preventive maintenance kits and were valued at $22,885, court records stated. An employee said they were taken from a locked Conex container near U.S. Highway 64 and County Road 4785, less than a mile from where deputies found Gosnell.

The tire treads on Gosnell’s truck appeared to be very similar to the tire impressions collected at the crime scene, according to court documents.

Gosnell on May 19 balked at paying the tow bill to get his vehicle returned, according to court documents. He returned on June 15 to pick up the vehicle.

The defendant then gave a third version of the story of why he had the allegedly stolen property, claiming he found the boxes on the side of the road, according to court records. When a detective asked more questions, Gosnell stated he wanted an attorney.

Gosnell was being held at the San Juan County Adult Detention Center on the morning of July 15.

A magistrate court judge ordered the defendant be held after he allegedly violated the conditions of his release in separate criminal cases.

His preliminary hearing is set for the morning of July 22 in Farmington Magistrate Court.

Joshua Kellogg covers breaking news for The Daily Times. He can be reached at 505-564-4627 or via email at jkellogg@daily-times.com.

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