(PUEBLO WEST, Colo.) — A suspect in the theft of a car from a Big R store in Pueblo West on Sunday, Sept. 17 was captured after a Sheriff’s Office K9 found him hiding in a ditch, according to the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO).

PCSO said deputies responded around noon on Sunday to a report of a car being stolen from the Big R store in Pueblo West. The owner told deputies he was loading items into his 2012 Mazda3 when a man, later identified as 41-year-old Nathan Maxwell, got into the Mazda and drove off, heading westbound on Highway 50.

PCSO said the car was found abandoned on Hwy 50 about a mile away.

A witness working in the area told deputies he had seen a man park the car and get out, before walking into a field. K9 Edo and Master Deputy Benito Martinez responded, and found Maxwell hiding in a ditch.

Maxwell followed the deputy’s commands to lie on the ground, and was taken into custody without incident.

According to PCSO, Maxwell, who is from Crestone, said he “thought he asked the victim if he could borrow the vehicle” and thought the victim had said yes. Maxwell said as he was driving away, he began to feel remorseful, so he parked the car on the highway where it would be easily found and took off walking into the nearby field.

Maxwell was arrested for Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft and booked into the Pueblo County Jail.