By Deb Stanley
The Denver Channel
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — The Colorado State University student accused of stealing an ambulance and attacking deputies at the Larimer County jail says he went to a Halloween concert where he took “molly” and cocaine, according to the extensive police reports obtained by 7NEWS.
Police said emergency crews with Poudre Valley Hospital were treating an intoxicated student for seizures on campus in Fort Collins last Sunday, and when they came outside with the patient, their ambulance was gone.
The ambulance, which had a GPS system on board, was tracked to Loveland. Loveland police officers said they found the ambulance in the middle of Highway 34 with several doors open, heavy front-end damage and fluid leaking.
One officer said it appeared the driver of the ambulance had hit the raised median, jumped the curb, hit a sign, went the wrong way and crossed back over the median before stopping.
Officers said they found 18-year-old Stefan Sortland standing about 30 yards from the stopped ambulance wearing an EMT vest. Officers shot him with a stun gun when he refused their commands. Sortland had a blanket, a cell phone and a box of Wheat Thins with him.
Police said that Sortland admitted he took the ambulance from CSU, then refused to answer questions, but commented, “Why are the lights flashing on the cars?”
Sortland was taken to the Loveland Police Department.
There he “stood on a bench, kicked the wall, and masturbated,” according to the police report.
Police said during his interview with officers, Sortland made a reference that his “friends/roommates were dead, in heaven, and had committed suicide.”
Officers said they checked with the two people and found they were both fine.
One of those friends told police that they had been at a concert with Sortland and that Sortland had been kicked out.
Officers said they called Sortland’s father who said his son had no mental health issues and wasn’t taking any medications. The father did say his son had sent him odd texts and seemed irrational on the phone on Halloween.
As Sortland was being prepared for transport to the jail, officers said he apologized to all of them for his actions.
However, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office said a few hours later, when Sortland was in the booking area at the jail, he attacked two deputies who were bringing him lunch.
Sortland is accused of punching one deputy in the face causing a concussion and facial swelling, officials said.
A second deputy suffered an abrasion and a finger sprain during attempts to gain control of Sortland, according to the sheriff’s office.
Sortland is facing charges of aggravated vehicle theft, obstructing EMS, reckless driving, hit-and-run, criminal mischief, attempted motor vehicle theft, unlawful possession of a controlled substance and criminal charges of assault for the jail incident.
Reprinted with permission from The Denver Channel.