Douglas County deputies seek suspects in vehicle break-in, card theft

Surveillance video captured two suspects after a vehicle break-in led to a stolen phone, a stolen wallet and credit-card use at a Lakewood gas station. The pair remain at large, and the sheriff’s office is asking residents and businesses to help identify them.

Thieves have hit Douglas County and the south metro for years, breaking into parked cars, grabbing purses, wallets and phones, then moving quickly to nearby businesses before victims can freeze their cards. Deputies have tied that pattern to break-ins at trailheads, parks, pools, churches, fitness centers and other public gathering places, where cars are often left unattended long enough for a window smash and a fast getaway.

A 2024 Douglas County alert linked two vehicle-break-in cases: one on Feb. 19, 2024, at Reuter Hess Reservoir in Parker, and the other on April 12, 2024, at the Douglas County Fairgrounds in Castle Rock. Stolen credit cards were used at local retailers including Home Depot and Walmart.

The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office Financial Crimes Unit handles fraud, identity theft and financial-loss cases, and the work can stretch on for months. The unit includes a supervisor, four detectives, one civilian specialist and several volunteers. Cases often involve scattered transaction records, surveillance video and multiple business locations across the metro area.

Deputies have repeatedly told residents to remove valuables from vehicles, lock doors and park in well-lit areas. Thieves look for visible purses, wallets, phones and cards left in plain sight. Once those items are gone, stolen cards can be run almost immediately at gas stations and stores.

The sheriff’s office also asks anyone with private security footage to share it if it may show the suspects or the vehicle involved. In past vehicle-theft and credit-card investigations, Metro Denver Crime Stoppers has offered anonymous rewards of up to $2,000 for tips.