DOUGLAS COUNTY, Colo — The Douglas County Sheriff's Office said it has arrested 11 people and recovered 17 stolen vehicles and two stolen weapons after a two-month-long investigation. The arrests include four juveniles.
The sheriff's office said it's still investigating whether any of these cases are connected.
The suspects arrested have been identified as:
- Jorge Gutierrez-Valdez, 28, from Venezuela, faces charges of vehicular theft.
- Axel Cardenas, 33, from Colombia, faces charges of burglary, possession of burglary tools, and criminal trespass. He was released to ICE.
- Yilbert Maldonaldo, 29, from Venezuela, faces charges of burglary, possession of burglary tools, and criminal trespass. He was released to ICE.
- Jose Murillo, 20, from Venezuela, faces charges of burglary, possession of burglary tools, and criminal trespass. He is in the custody of the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, which said the Department of Homeland Security has provided an immigration detainer.
- Lana Tamara Fernandez, 30, from Denver, faces charges of motor vehicle theft, and vehicular eluding.
- Wister Antonio Diaz-Caballero, 25, from Florida, faces charges of driving on a suspended license, eluding, and possession of drug paraphernalia.
- Jennifer Cait Anderson, 36, from Parker, faces charges of motor vehicle theft, possession of burglary tools, drug offenses.
- 4 juveniles.
These arrests come as the sheriff's office said it's been seeing an increase in auto thefts and garage burglaries across Douglas County. According to a release from the sheriff's office, there were 33 auto thefts in July alone.
In one case, a suspect was seen on surveillance footage carrying a handgun while trying to break into vehicles in a Douglas County neighborhood, the sheriff's office said. In another, a recovered stolen vehicle was linked to an armed carjacking in another city where the victim was shot at.
Gutierrez-Valdez, Maldonald, and Murillo were all arrested after a man called police saying that he saw three men breaking into his vehicle on his Ring camera.
Anderson was arrested after deputies noticed the vehicle she was in had a stolen license plate on it, an arrest affidavit says. They attempted to contact her but she "ran," the affidavit says. When deputies eventually caught up with her, she explained she ran because she had warrants, according to the document.
Investigators determined the car she was in had been reported stolen in Douglas County. The affidavit says it had a license plate on it that was stolen in Denver.
Inside the vehicle, investigators also found credit cards belonging to at least five different people.
Fernandez was arrested on Aug. 7 after Parker Police located a stolen Kia Sol near Stroh Ranch Road and Parker Road and attempted a traffic stop, the affidavit says. She failed to yield and headed south on Parker Road at a "high rate of speed," the affidavit says.
Eventually, stop sticks were deployed which caused the left front tire to deflate and come of the wheel, the affidavit says. She got out of the car and attempted to get into another vehicle that had attempted to cut off deputies during the chase. That vehicle was locked so she could not get and she fell to the ground and hit her head, the affidavit says.
Deputies then took her into custody. They found she had about five grams of meth inside a blue fanny pack she was wearing, according to the affidavit.
The sheriff's office said it has conducted multiple investigations over the past couple weeks, using search warrants, traffic stops, and pursuing suspects who tried to run away.
"My deputies have worked incredibly hard over the past several months to keep our community safe," Douglas County Sheriff Dan Weekly said in a release. "From auto theft to property crimes, our IMPACT team and patrol deputies are doing everything they can to protect our residents. I would also like to thank the Aurora Police Department and their SWAT team for helping us safely execute two search warrants in their jurisdiction.”
"We need the community's help to prevent crimes of opportunity. Lock your cars and your homes," Weekly said. "Some of these thieves are armed and dangerous. Do not confront them. Call 911. The last thing we want is for someone to get hurt."
The sheriff's office is continuing to investigate these cases, and they encourage residents to stay vigilant and report any suspicious activity immediately.