A Steamboat Springs man is accused of allegedly stealing a vehicle on Fish Creek Falls Road early Saturday morning before crashing it into an embankment, according to an arrest affidavit. 

Adam Alten, 25, was arrested around 2 a.m. Saturday and charged with second-degree motor vehicle theft, a Class 4 felony, as well as driving under the influence and reckless driving.

The juvenile victim, whose car was allegedly stolen by Alten, was driving a gold 2005 Subaru Legacy up Fish Creek Falls Road toward the intersection of Amethyst Drive early Saturday morning when the victim saw a man lying in the road, the affidavit says.

The driver then stopped the car to check on the wellbeing of the man, later identified as Alten. When the victim approached, Alten allegedly stood up and got in the driver seat of the victim’s vehicle, says the document. 

The victim then allegedly saw Alten drive northbound on Amethyst Drive, “leaving (the victim) on foot in the roadway,” according to the affidavit. 

A witness who was also driving on Fish Creek Falls Road toward their home on Amethyst Drive said that they saw Alten lying on the side of the road and observed him entering the driver’s seat of the Subaru, the document states. 

As the witness approached home, the witness saw the same Subaru driving over 50 mph on Amethyst Drive. The witness, “frustrated by this reckless driving action,” then began following the Subaru, now approaching the intersection of Amethyst Drive and East Maple Street, the affidavit continues. 

The witness then saw the Subaru allegedly “crash into an embankment off the right side of the roadway, causing the vehicle to become slightly airborne,” before landing in a driveway overlooking Amethyst Drive, according to the affidavit. 

The witness then observed the car “reverse back towards the embankment” before getting stuck, says the document. 

According to the witness, Alten then exited the vehicle and began “stumbling down the roadway.” The witness called 911 and approached Alten on foot.  

“Alten then became combative with (the witness), attempting to punch (the witness) in the face,” the affidavit states. 

The witness then returned to their vehicle to wait for the authorities to arrive. 

At around 1:45 a.m., an officer with the Steamboat Springs Police Department arrived on the scene and “observed debris located from the vehicle scattered in the grass below,” the document continues. 

In the affidavit, the officer noted that the car “sustained heavy damage to the front end of the vehicle, leaving the front bumper and the grille … completely totaled.” 

The officer described Alten in the arrest affidavit as being “highly intoxicated,” with Alten struggling to maintain his balance or speak a complete sentence. 

The officer added that “Alten could not comprehend the situation,” states the affidavit. When the officer asked Alten whose vehicle he was driving, Alten responded by stating “my Subaru is at home.” 

“Alten did state that the Subaru he was operating did not belong to him,” the affidavit states. 

When asked about the quantity of alcohol he had consumed, Alten responded, “a lot … more than is allowed to drive a vehicle,” the document continues. 

The officer asked Alten how he had crashed the car, to which he responded that he was driving too fast, according to the affidavit. 

“Alten could not remember how he acquired the vehicle,” and “did not remember where he was coming from or where he was going,” says the document.

The victim, who was escorted to the scene of the collision, positively identified Alten as the man he saw lying in the road and driving off in his Subaru. 

Alten’s bond is set at $2,000. He is next scheduled to appear in Routt County Combined Court on Aug. 5.