JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. — Two people have been indicted on suspicion of stealing thousands of dollars worth of tools and other merchandise from nine Colorado Home Depot stores, the state attorney general's office said on Thursday.
A state grand jury returned indictments on Feb. 16 for 30-year-old Mario Timothy Hehr and 27-year-old Alexandra Gaiswinkler. The suspects were arrested in Jefferson County and each charged with:
- Colorado Organized Crime Control Act – Conspiracy
- Theft – $20,000 - 100,000
- Conspiracy to commit theft – $20,000 - $100,000
Hehr was also charged with:
- Colorado Organized Crime Control Act – Pattern of Racketeering - Participation in an Enterprise
- Attempt to commit theft – $1,000 - $2,000
The stores the couple are accused of stealing from were in Adams, Jefferson, Boulder, Broomfield and Weld counties.
According to the indictments, between December 2021 and September 2022, Hehr would go into a Home Depot without any items. He would then grab a garbage bin or tote and then use cutters to snip security cables to high-end tools, the indictments allege. He would put the tools in the bin or tote and leave the stores without paying for the items, according to the indictment.
Once Hehr would exit the store, he would get into a blue and white Ford van that often did not have license plates, the indictment says. Gaiswinkler drove away in the van after Hehr had stolen items on at least one occasion, the indictment says.
The couple then took the stolen tools directly to a pawnshop, the indictment says.
In all, the couple are accused to taking 199 items worth $39,682.
"Colorado businesses have lost millions in inventory to sophisticated crime rings, threatening greater safety risks to retail store employees and higher prices for consumers," Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said in a statement. "Working with our law enforcement partners, my office is committed to combating organized retail theft and holding criminals accountable for the harm they cause businesses, employees, and consumers throughout the state."
Hehr and Gaiswinkler are being held in the Jefferson County jail in lieu of $50,000 cash or surety bonds.
SUGGESTED VIDEOS: Investigations & Crime
