Man arrested after bizarre behavior with a wheelchair

One man was arrested in the early morning hours of July 4 after he was allegedly caught alternating between driving an electric wheelchair up and down a local roadway and hiding it in the bushes, while possibly high on methamphetamine.

Kenneth Baltutat, 44, was arrested shortly before 5 a.m. Thursday on charges of violating his probation and possessing drug paraphernalia after Nye County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the area of Bridger Street and Pahrump Valley Boulevard for a report of suspicious activity.

According to a declaration of arrest in the case, someone called police to report that a male could be seen driving up and down the roadway in an electric wheelchair and from time to time hiding it in bushes alongside the street, which they found to be very odd.

As deputies arrived in the area where the activity had been reported, they soon spotted the alleged wheelchair driver making his way down the road. As police got closer, one officer reportedly recognized the driver as Baltutat. It was noted in his arrest report that the deputy knew Baltutat from previous encounters with the man where he had arrested him on charges of possessing methamphetamine.

After identifying the alleged wheelchair driver, deputies began to speak with Baltutat, and noted he appeared to be exhibiting signs of being under the influence of a controlled substance, specifically methamphetamine.

When asked if he had anything illegal on him, he allegedly stated he did, telling officers, “yeah, I have a pointer on me,” referring to drug paraphernalia in his possession.

After Baltutat allegedly told police where the item was located, a search of his person reportedly revealed a spoon with a cotton ball inside and a used hypodermic needle — items the arrest report noted are typically used for injecting narcotics.

After running Baltutat’s name through police dispatch, officers learned that he was on probation. A call to his probation officer revealed he had violated some of the terms of his probation by possessing the paraphernalia.

Based on the alleged violation, Baltutat’s probation officer reportedly asked police to take him into custody. He was subsequently placed under arrest for the probation offense and possessing drug paraphernalia before being transported to the Nye County Detention Center to be booked into custody.

As of Tuesday morning, Baltutat remained in custody without bail.