Boulder County, Colo. - Boulder County Sheriff’s deputies arrested 42-year-old Jose Sanchez Palacio, a resident of Westminster, Colorado, for two counts of Aggravated Motor Vehicle Theft (class five felonies) and one count of Criminal Mischief, less then $300 (a petty offense) at his home in Westminster. An e-bike is considered a motor vehicle under state statute. The criminal mischief charge stems from the suspect cutting a locking mechanism off the bike.

Deputies were dispatched to a home in the 4500 block of Starboard Court in unincorporated Boulder County which occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m. The resident noticed someone had stolen their electric bike (e-bike) which was equipped with a GPS tracker. The resident had video footage of the suspect and it was determined that the vehicle the suspect was driving was a stolen Audi. With the assistance of the Westminster Police Department, Palacio was contacted at his home and the e-bike and vehicle were recovered pursuant to the execution of a search warrant at the home.

The Sheriff’s Office would like to take this opportunity to remind residents to secure their valuables inside of their locked homes, or if this is not possible, to purchase locks that can not be easily defeated with a bolt cutter or similar tool.

As in every criminal case, these charges are merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty.

The associated Boulder County Sheriff's Office case number is: 22-03398.

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/s/ Commander Jason Oehlkers