Editor’s note: This story has been updated after the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office clarified the dates of the incidents.
DENVER (KDVR) — An armed suspect accused of trespassing and burglarizing homes was caught after FOX31’s Jim Hooley spotted him walking in downtown Idaho Springs on Friday morning.
Hooley was reporting on a manhunt for a suspect in downtown Idaho Springs after the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office said Idaho Springs residents reported three instances of a suspicious person trespassing on private properties near Highway 103 this week.
Authorities were still searching for the suspect — that is, until Hooley spotted the suspect and took a picture of the man walking downtown on Friday morning. After calling the police, the sheriff’s office said the suspect was taken into custody behind the visitor’s center on Miner Street.
The suspect was later identified by the sheriff’s office as Richard Applequist, 32, who is being held at the Clear Creek County Jail and is now facing several charges, including:
- Two counts of first-degree burglary
- Possession of a weapon by a previous offender
- Eluding
- Impersonating a police officer
- Theft
- Criminal mischief
- Reckless endangerment
- Resisting arrest
- Third-degree burglary
Final charges will be determined by the 5th Judicial District Attorney’s Office.
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A suspect accused of trespassing and burglary connected to three trespassing incidents was caught after FOX31 ‘s Jim Hooley spotted him walking in downtown Idaho Springs on Friday morning. -
Clear Creek County released a video of this trespassing and burglary suspect after three incidents in one week. (Courtesy the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office) -
Clear Creek County released a video of this trespassing and burglary suspect after three incidents in one week. (Courtesy the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office) -
Clear Creek County released photos of this trespassing and burglary suspect, alongside his vehicle, after three incidents in one week. (Courtesy the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office) -
Clear Creek County released photos of this trespassing and burglary suspect, alongside his vehicle, after three incidents in one week. (Courtesy the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office)
“GREAT NEWS! The suspect is in custody! CBS Denver and FOX were doing live shots on Hwy 103 this morning and actually saw the suspect walk out along the road. They recognized the description and reported him to police! He is currently receiving medical treatment. Great job Media!” the sheriff’s office said in a social media update.
This comes after three reports of the trespasser were filed this week, according to the sheriff’s office.
The first two incidents occurred on Tuesday, Sept. 24, between 4 and 6 p.m. on Peaceful Valley Lane in Idaho Springs. The sheriff’s office said that he was holding a handgun while trespassing at one of the properties.
The suspect also allegedly burglarized one of the properties and stole over $2,000 worth of items and also caused $2,000 worth of damage. The sheriff’s office said he wore black gloves while stealing the items.
Then, on Sept. 25, the suspect reportedly trespassed onto a property on Ute Creek Road in Idaho Springs. He was seen on the property loading and cocking a firearm and was there between 9:20 a.m. and 10:10 a.m. During this incident, he was seen wearing tan pants, a long-sleeved sweatshirt with a hood and a black cloth that partially covered his face.
The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office shared a video of the suspect holding a firearm, covering his face, hair and hands, and appearing to disable a Nest security camera.
On Friday, the agency said that it returned to Ute Creek Road at about 6 p.m. on Thursday because deputies had reason to believe the suspect was still in the area and armed. Using a drone, police located the suspect vehicle at about 7:30 p.m., parked near milepost 6 on Highway 103.
The suspect was reportedly seen standing outside the vehicle, but got into the car and fled south on Highway 103, spurring the police pursuit.
The sheriff’s office said that the suspect spoke to one property owner through a surveillance camera and told them he was with the U.S. Forest Service. He then disconnected the camera.
The Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office checked with the U.S. Forest Service and were told that the suspect is not one of their employees.
A shelter-in-place was established after a vehicle similar to the suspect vehicle was spotted on Highway 103 by a Clear Creek County deputy on Thursday at about 6 p.m..
Deputies and officers with the Idaho Springs Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office and the Golden Police Department were assisting in the search. Drone and K-9 teams were also being used to locate the suspect.
Other units responded and set up a perimeter, and the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office said the suspect fled in the vehicle before crashing near milepost 3 on Highway 103. The suspect then fled on foot.
“We are working on the assumption this is the same suspect we posted about earlier, seen in this video, and that he may be armed,” the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook.
After a lengthy shelter-in-place and overnight search effort, Applequist was taken into custody before 8 a.m. on Friday.
Hooley confirmed with police driving by during his live hit on FOX31 that the man was in custody.
“We got him,” a police officer told Hooley on live television while driving by.
Applequist is now a person of interest in other burglaries that occurred in the “same general area” in the past weeks.
The investigation is ongoing and anyone with information or who has surveillance footage of this suspect or of a suspicious person on their property is asked to contact the Clear Creek County Sheriff’s Office at crime_tips@clearcreeksheriff.us or call the agency’s non-emergency number at 303-980-7300.
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