HOLDENVILLE — A suspicious vehicle parked on a vacant lot in Holdenville on the morning of June 9 led police to arrest a man on multiple felony charges, including possession of a stolen vehicle and drug paraphernalia, according to a probable cause affidavit filed at the Hughes County Courthouse.

Officer Zachary Jared of the Holdenville Police Department responded to a report of the vehicle around 7:30 a.m. A resident reported that two unknown men had parked the truck and walked south on Vorhees Street, raising concern due to the vehicle being parked on a neighbor’s vacant property.

Officer Jared noted that the hood of the truck was warm, suggesting it had been recently driven. A check of the Oklahoma license plate confirmed the vehicle was stolen, having been reported by the Seminole County Sheriff’s Office on March 10. The truck’s VIN number further verified it as the vehicle listed in the NCIC system as stolen.

While speaking with the witness, one of the individuals who had exited the truck was spotted walking east on Commerce Street. Officer Jared stopped the man, later identified as Richard Nunes, 45, and initiated a pedestrian stop. According to the affidavit, Nunes became argumentative and questioned the officer’s authority, eventually making a telling remark: “Do I match the description of a suspect?”

After being handcuffed, Nunes admitted to having a meth pipe in his pocket before the officer could ask about it. Officer Jared recovered a blue glass pipe with burnt residue consistent with methamphetamine. A key ring in Nunes’ pocket also held a Ford truck key attached to an Oregon Ducks lanyard— identical to one previously seen inside the stolen vehicle.

Without prompting, Nunes claimed he had purchased the truck months earlier from someone in Seminole County who had since died and questioned how a deceased individual could report the truck stolen. He also mentioned having a bill of sale but said it might be at home— or inside the truck, in a wooden box with a drawer in the back seat.

When officers returned to the truck, the Ford key in Nunes’ possession activated the vehicle’s horn and locks. Nunes advised another officer how to unlock the truck using one of the other keys on the ring. Inside, police discovered: Scales and small zip lock bags consistent with drug distribution Marijuana paraphernalia including a black tube with a burnt mouthpiece A 12-gauge shotgun shell and a round of .22 magnum ammunition A plastic container with an orange powder and a partial orange pill (which later tested negative for methamphetamine and fentanyl) Several tool bags and the wooden box Nunes had described, which turned out to be empty No bill of sale was located inside the vehicle.

Nunes was transported to the Seminole County Jail and booked in on complaints of: Possession of a Controlled Dangerous Substance with Intent to Distribute Possession of Drug Paraphernalia Possession of a Stolen Motor Vehicle The case remains under investigation by Holdenville Police.