Two Bloomfield residents were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of motor vehicle theft after a car chase and a three- to four-mile foot pursuit west of Ignacio.

Joshua Alcon, 28, and Gabriela Calderon, 23, were being held at the La Plata County Jail on suspicion of motor vehicle theft and unrelated warrants, said Sgt. David Griggs with the La Plata County Sheriff’s Office. A juvenile also was with the couple but was not part of the car theft, he said.

The incident started about 12:20 p.m. when the Sky Ute Casino reported seeing a stolen vehicle out of New Mexico. The Sheriff’s Office responded with the Southern Ute Police Department, Griggs said.

When approached by law enforcement, occupants in the red Chevy Malibu sped away on County Road 516, which runs between Ignacio and Bayfield, Griggs said. The driver then turned onto county roads leading to Colorado Highway 172 before turning onto County Road 311 near Oxford. The Southern Ute Police Department discontinued the pursuit for safety reasons, but an unmarked police car kept up with the suspects to Anna Road, which dead-ends off County Road 311, Griggs said. There, the suspects abandoned the Malibu in a field and made a run for it.

Deputies and a K-9 unit tracked the suspects through the snow before finding them about 1:50 p.m. “They ran about 3½ or four miles maybe and were trying to hide from the deputies,” Griggs said. “Apparently, they were involved in some kind of felony down in New Mexico.”

shane@durangoherald.com