HIGHLANDS RANCH, Colo. — The Douglas County Sheriff's Office has arrested two people who they say stole items from a car outside of a Highlands Ranch elementary school while a child was still inside the car.
The sheriff's office said Reese Bilyeu, 24, and Devon Lynn Ashley, 27, were arrested Tuesday at a hotel in the 7600 block of E. Union Ave. in Denver.
Just before 7 a.m. Aug. 27, the sheriff's office said deputies responded to Cougar Run Elementary School at 8780 Venneford Ranch Road in Highlands Ranch. They had received a report of a person entering a car parked in front of the school, according to the sheriff's office. The driver's 9-year-old son was still inside.
The driver's computer and bag were taken before the thief got into the passenger seat of a black SUV and drove away, the sheriff's office said. The child wasn't harmed.
Surveillance video showed the male passenger get out of the suspect car, open the door of the victim's vehicle and reach in and take items before getting back into the suspect car, which then left the parking lot, according to the sheriff's office.
Shortly after at 7:12 a.m., the sheriff's office said, the victim's credit card was used at the King Soopers at Highlands Ranch Parkway and University Avenue. Once deputies got there, they couldn't find the thieves or their car.
On Tuesday, Bilyeu was arrested in the hotel lobby, armed with a handgun and extra ammunition, according to the sheriff's office. Ashley was arrested shortly after, near a stolen Toyota RAV4 parked outside the hotel. In surveillance video from the school, the car the thieves left in was identified as likely being a Toyota RAV4 with a sunroof.
When officers searched the car, the sheriff's office said they found a hoodie and mask matching the description of those worn during the Cougar Run trespass, illegal drugs and multiple stolen credit cards.
The sheriff's office said detectives also executed a search warrant on the suspects’ hotel room, where they found four stolen computers, numerous passports, driver’s licenses, social security cards, credit cards and other personal information belonging to various victims.
Both Bilyeu and Ashley had multiple outstanding warrants, according to the sheriff's office, and the pair will face additional charges related to this case, including motor vehicle theft and vehicular trespassing.
This investigation is ongoing, and the sheriff's office said they are working to identify other potential victims the recovered items belong to.
