Santa Fe police say Leopoldo Carrillo approached an officer outside a downtown bar just before midnight Wednesday and asked for help because he was locked out of his car. Unfortunately for Carrillo, the officer noticed that the 1997 green Infiniti I30 matched the description of a car reported stolen Tuesday and also recognized Carrillo’s name as that of the suspect.

As a result, Carrillo ended up in the Santa Fe County jail at about 4 a.m. Thursday on a charge of receiving or transferring a stolen vehicle.

Lt. Louis Carlos said Sgt. Troy Baker was arresting another individual at the Cowgirl BBQ restaurant and bar, 319 S. Guadalupe St., following a fight, when Carrillo, 50, walked up to the officer.

“Mr. Leopoldo approached Sgt. Baker and asked him for a Slim Jim to open his car door,” Carlos said, referring to a slender tool that can be used to unlock a car from the outside by sliding it down into the window cavity and releasing the locking mechanism.

The officer asked Carrillo for his name and immediately recognized him as a suspect in the previous day’s auto theft, Carlos said. Carrillo tried to resist further questioning, at which point he was arrested, Carlos said.

A woman on Tuesday had reported to police that a man she had just met had threatened her and then stole her car. The Infiniti had been parked on Agua Fría Street near Maez Road, Carlos said, when the woman watched Carrillo drive off in it.

Earlier on Tuesday, Carrillo had been arraigned at about 8 a.m. in Santa Fe County Magistrate Court on a shoplifting charge stemming from a July 27 arrest. Carrillo, who pleaded not guilty to that charge, was released after less than four hours in jail July 27. He had posted a $1,500 surety bond.

Now, Carrillo is being held without bond and also faces a charge of failing to comply with the conditions of his release from the shoplifting charge.

Prior to this summer’s arrests, jail records show Carrillo was arrested in Santa Fe in December 2011 on charges of battery against a household member and resisting or obstructing an officer. According to records, the police report from the incident says the guard booking Carrillo into jail “found two rocks of crack cocaine” in Carrillo’s jacket pocket.

Charges of battery and resisting against Carrillo were dropped by state prosecutors in March, as was a charge of possession of a controlled substance, court records show.

In 2007, he was convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon, records show, and in 2001, he was convicted of possession of a controlled substance.

Contact Nico Roesler at 986-3089 or nroesler@sfnewmexican.com. Follow him on Twitter @nicoroesler.