The fire started on the morning of Dec. 21 at the Fleming warehouse near I-70 and Chambers in Aurora. The warehouse holds merchandise supplies distributed to convenience stores in Colorado and other states.
Prosecutors named Marc Aaron, 23, Brannon Denman, 22, and 28-year-old David Ottersberg as suspects. They say one of the men was a former employee at Fleming. The suspects apparently thought the warehouse would be an easy target and they mistakenly believed a fire would cover their tracks.
A video surveillance system that survived the fire caught the suspects on tape. Prosecutors also say a federal informant caught them bragging about it, and all of this destruction they say was linked to methamphetamine.
The warehouse was a massive storehouse for the basic ingredients for meth, like cold and flu medication. The three are accused of trying to steal those products, then setting the whole place on fire to cover up any evidence left behind. The tape showed one of the suspects spreading a flammable liquid on the floor and igniting it.
More than $15 million in damage was done.
Roger Davison's business was almost completely lost. "Why'd they have to burn it? You can almost understand theft, but why'd they have to burn it?" he said.
After the fire, prosecutors say the men hid the stolen good in an Aurora apartment, passed out stolen cigarettes to friends, and told stories about the crime.
Neighbors say they were outgoing young men, who like to party, but never caused any trouble.
U.S. attorney John Suthers says the charges, and the long sentences they may carry, speak to the tragedy of methamphetamine. "The addiction is quite severe. It does not surprise me that methamphetamine addicts would go to this length, or any other length to procure this drug," he said.
If convicted, each will face between seven and 40 years in prison. Aaron and Ottersberg were in custody on unrelated charges Tuesday afternoon. Denman was arrest Wednesday morning.
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