By Patti Weaver

 

(Stillwater, Okla.) — A 33-year-old Stillwater man on probation for uttering a forged instrument in Perkins and committing a burglary at Oklahoma State University has been charged with stealing an E-bike valued at $1195 from behind a bar south of OSU and possessing methamphetamine along with drug paraphernalia.
    Nicholas Ryan Brown has been ordered jailed on $7,500 bail pending a Nov. 4 court appearance on a three-count charge at which he can seek a preliminary hearing.
    Brown, who was arrested about 5 am on Oct. 19, “stated that he had seen the bike sitting behind the bar and thought it looked like his bike. Nicholas stated that he knew that it was not his bike, but he decided to take it so he could get around town,” Stillwater Police Officer Gaige Ellis alleged in an affidavit.
    “During a search of Nicholas’ person incident to arrest, Nicholas advised that he had a ‘meth pipe’ on him,” in his front left pants pocket, the affidavit alleged.
    “Later it was also discovered that Nicholas also had two grams of a white crystal-like substance that tested presumptive positive for methamphetamine. Nicholas also had a small baggy of a green leafy substance and ash that was located in a small gray carry case with a glass pipe,” which tested positive for THC, the affidavit alleged.
    “Nicholas stated that he did not have an Oklahoma Medical Marijuana card. Nicholas also had a vape pen that was located in his backpack that had the odor of THC. Nicholas stated that it was in fact a THC cartridge,” the affidavit alleged.
    The police officer had been sent at 3:46 am on Oct. 19 to the bar where an employee said his stolen E-bike was a black Super73 Z Miami with aftermarket front/rear lights that had an Apple Air tag, which was not currently responding, the affidavit said.
    “I viewed the cameras from the bar and observed a white male wearing a dark hoodie, baseball cap, jeans and appeared to have a beard or face mask on his chin. The suspect climbed down the embankment on the east side of the building, collected the bike and left the scene heading northbound.
    “Later on, at 5:02 am, (the bar employee) contacted the Stillwater Police Department to report that the Air tag was pinging his bike at around 600 S. Orchard. Officers searched the area and eventually located a male matching the description of the suspect from this case, riding a bike that matched the description as well,” the affidavit alleged.
    “I arrived on scene and checked the serial number on the bottom of the bike and was able to confirm that it was the bike stolen from 501 S. Washington,” the officer alleged in his affidavit.
    According to Payne County court records and the state Department of Corrections, Brown had been placed on two years’ probation in January of 2023 for uttering a forged instrument in Perkins in 2021. Brown was charged in 2022 with second-degree burglary at OSU and given in January of 2023 a two-year prison term, of which he served three months, followed by five years of probation.
    Brown had also been charged with drug possession in the presence of a child in 2012 for which he was sent to the prison boot camp program and then placed on five years of probation under a deferred sentence, which was changed to a suspended sentence, followed by an order to go into drug treatment and then to participate in the Payne County Drug Court in 2019, but in 2020 his probation was revoked to one year in jail, court records show.