Good job, police
Thornton police arrest six in busy theft ring
The wide-ranging burglars entered homes and took car keys, vehicles, laptops and cellphones, officials say.
By Kirk Mitchell
Thornton police arrested six members of a metro theft ring that went into homes to steal car keys and then drove away in stolen cars, officials say.
"You have a very brazen set of criminals who were rummaging through homes for keys while the occupants of the houses slept," said Matt Barnes, Thornton police spokesman.
The cat burglars have been stealing as many as three cars from a single home a night, Barnes said. They allegedly broke into 13 homes and stole 19 vehicles in Thornton alone, but they also stole cars across the metro area, he said.
"We made several arrests yesterday. We believe the major players of this ring have been identified and are in custody," Barnes said Wednesday. "We anticipate more arrests."
Police are withholding the names of the suspects while they seek three other members of the group, which targeted homes in one city and then jumped to other metro cities.
Thornton officers will present the findings of their investigation to prosecutors by Tuesday, Barnes said.
The burglars began breaking into homes in August and would target one city for a few days and then go to other towns when patrols increased, he said. Thieves stole cars as recently as Monday.
They would enter homes between 2 and 5 a.m. They stole whatever they could readily see in kitchens, including keys, laptops, purses, iPods and cellphones, Barnes said.
The thieves broke into homes and stole cars in Broomfield, Thornton, Arapahoe County and Westminster, Barnes said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
The wide-ranging burglars entered homes and took car keys, vehicles, laptops and cellphones, officials say.
By Kirk Mitchell
Thornton police arrested six members of a metro theft ring that went into homes to steal car keys and then drove away in stolen cars, officials say.
"You have a very brazen set of criminals who were rummaging through homes for keys while the occupants of the houses slept," said Matt Barnes, Thornton police spokesman.
The cat burglars have been stealing as many as three cars from a single home a night, Barnes said. They allegedly broke into 13 homes and stole 19 vehicles in Thornton alone, but they also stole cars across the metro area, he said.
"We made several arrests yesterday. We believe the major players of this ring have been identified and are in custody," Barnes said Wednesday. "We anticipate more arrests."
Police are withholding the names of the suspects while they seek three other members of the group, which targeted homes in one city and then jumped to other metro cities.
Thornton officers will present the findings of their investigation to prosecutors by Tuesday, Barnes said.
The burglars began breaking into homes in August and would target one city for a few days and then go to other towns when patrols increased, he said. Thieves stole cars as recently as Monday.
They would enter homes between 2 and 5 a.m. They stole whatever they could readily see in kitchens, including keys, laptops, purses, iPods and cellphones, Barnes said.
The thieves broke into homes and stole cars in Broomfield, Thornton, Arapahoe County and Westminster, Barnes said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
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