Staff Writer
A number of Archuleta County burglaries remain unsolved, and law enforcement is seeking help.
Over the past several months, at least 13 burglaries have gone unsolved, with a number of them occurring in the Arboles area, as well as at locations that may not be often visited.
Detective Brandon Bishop of the Archuleta County Sheriff’s Office reported that seven storage units at Lake View Storage, located at 400 County Road 973 in Arboles, were broken into over the last several months, with stolen items including expensive grandfather clocks, taxidermy mounts, furniture and miscellaneous items.
Bishop reported that two oil rigs were broken into, both located in the 200 block of County Road 973, with shirts, pants, boots and tire chains taken.
Another break-in, at an Arboles county facility, was previously reported in The SUN.
At about 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 19, a member of the Archuleta County Road and Bridge Department discovered that a shared substation of the Road and Bridge Department and ACSO located along County Road 973 had been illegally entered.
According to Det. Lando Garcia, the screen of a front window at the substation had been pulled off and the window left open, though no items were discovered to have been taken.
In addition to the burglaries, an early December call to law enforcement reported four trespassers on property located on Cox Circle, near Arboles, in the middle of the night, Bishop said. Deputies reportedly were in a foot race with the trespassers, but were unable to catch them.
“So, there’s been a lot of action out there,” Bishop said, referring to the Arboles area.
Unsolved burglaries have also taken place in other parts of Archuleta County in the last few months.
In September, a $7,000 gold statue was stolen from Tara Mandala, located on Forest Service Road 649. The statue, weighing approximately 50 pounds, was reported stolen Sept. 5, with the burglary taking place some time the prior night, Bishop said.
On Saturday, Sept. 15, the ACSO received a report of a burglary at a home in the Loma Linda subdivision south of Pagosa Springs. At some point between Aug. 5 and Sept. 15, the home was burglarized to the tune of over $60,000 worth of property.
Bishop said items stolen from the property include TVs, four-wheelers and sporting good items.
Because the home’s owners were away at the time of the burglary, Bishop said it is unclear when the burglaries occurred, or if the items were taken in a single incident or during several incidents.
Entry was obtained through a kitchen window, Bishop said.
Another burglary was discovered at 8 a.m. on Oct. 2, at a residence located at 4691 U.S. 160 East and likely took place some time the prior night.
Bishop said the burglar or burglars gained access to the house via a second story sliding door, using a ladder found on the property.
At least $27,000 worth of property was taken, Bishop said, including rugs, tools, furniture, household items and electronics. Additionally, furniture was piled in the driveway of the residence, with Bishop indicating the burglar likely intended to make a second trip to pick up the items.
The electricity in the house was turned off at the breaker by the burglar, Bishop said.
Timelines on many of the burglaries have been difficult to determine due to the locations not being visited on a daily basis, Bishop said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Crime Stoppers by calling 264-2133, visiting www.pagosacrime.com, or texting “ACCST” plus the message to 274-637 (CRIMES).
randi@pagosasun.com
