More than 38 grams of cocaine and other items found inside a Denver man’s van after he ran away from an Aspen police officer in September indicate he is a drug dealer, a prosecutor said Wednesday.
Cole Sharpe, 30, was charged Wednesday with unlawful distribution, manufacturing, dispensing or sale of illegal drugs, as well as misdemeanor resisting arrest, according to court records.
In addition to the 38.6 gram baggie of white powder that tested positive for cocaine, Aspen police found 38.6 grams of psilocybin mushrooms, a digital scale and small plastic baggies inside the 1990 GMC van, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Pitkin County District Court.
In court Wednesday, prosecutor Don Nottingham said the evidence gathered so far shows Sharpe is a drug dealer. Sharpe’s lawyer, Georgina Melbye, declined to comment on the allegation.
Sharpe first came to the attention of Aspen Police Officer Dan Davis on Sept. 12 just before midnight when he noticed a van idling with a light on inside in the 800 block of East Cooper Avenue, according to his report. Shades covering the front window made the officer “suspicious that perhaps something nefarious was going on,” the report states.
Davis approached the van on foot and Sharpe stepped out. When he opened the door, the officer saw another man sitting at a table with lines of white powder on it. Sharpe, who was “noticeably shaking” said he was showing off his new van his two friends, the report states.
When Sharpe handed Davis his identification, “his hand was shaking uncontrollably” and he was sweating, though Sharpe said his hand shakes because of an injury.
“I told Sharpe … it looked like they were doing cocaine,” Davis said, according to his report. “Sharpe replied, ‘Yes sir.’ I told Sharpe to put his hands on the van and as he moved to the van, he took off running.”
Instead of chasing him, Davis yelled that he still had Sharpe’s identification, but he “continued his sprint toward Original Street, turned left and disappeared into the night,” the report states.
The other two men in the van were arrested for cocaine possession.
District Judge Chris Seldin on Wednesday lowered Sharpe’s bond from $50,000 to $10,000.