On Monday, December 28, 2020, at 3:16 p.m., Lincoln Police were called to a burglary in progress at 10th and H Street.
Upon arrival, officers saw a man leaving the area who matched the description of the suspect.. As officers attempted to contact the individual, the man took off on his bicycle despite officers in marked police vehicles following him and officers in police uniforms shouting for him to stop.
Officers finally tackled the individual off his bike and placed him in custody. The man was identified as 34 year old Gabriel Sterling. Police interviewed several individuals and looked at video surveillance and determined that Sterling was not the suspect in the burglary. Sterling advised officers he fled because he had narcotics on him.
After placing Sterling in custody, officers immediately searched him incident to arrest and located the following the items: a glass pipe with a substance that pre-tested positive for methamphetamine, a metal pipe with marijuana residue, a plastic baggie and pill container holding a total 10.4 grams of suspected marijuana, five prescription bottles (three of which bore the name of someone else) containing 21 Escitalopram pills, 157 Cyclobenzaprine pills, 27 Buproprion pills, 65 Gabapentin pills, and 48 Tizanidine Hydrochloride pills.
Officers also located a checkbook reported stolen to LPD on December 10. The top check was made out for $4,000.
Sterling was booked for Possession of a Controlled Substance, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Possession of Marijuana, Possession of Legend Drug, Resisting Arrest, Obstructing a Police Officer, and Criminal Possession of a Financial Transaction Device.