FOX31 Denver

Former neighbor of bomb, arson suspect speaks out

FEDERAL HEIGHTS, Colo. — Federal Heights Police and the bomb squad cleared the scene of a fiery and explosive crime Friday afternoon.

They said they didn’t find any more explosives outside Steven Truetken’s mobile home. Earlier in the week they said they discovered a dozen explosives, after they arrested Truetken and his accused him of setting his home and a neighbor’s on fire.

“He`s the guy who looks like a crazy person and he was always very aggressive, tone of voice and he looked like he wanted to hurt us,” David Frutos told FOX31.

He owns the mobile home next to Truetken’s. He lived in it with his wife and three young girls for about five years.

Frutos said he called Federal Heights Police numerous times about Truetken harassing him and his family.

Here’s how Frutos described one encounter:

“He (Truetken) was making a gesture as he was carrying a rifle,” Frutos said. “He was pointing it at us like he was going to shoot us. He pulled his lighter from his pocket and he said, ‘I`m going to burn your property down.’ that`s when I got really, really worried.’”

Back in 2012, an affidavit obtained by FOX31 shows Truetken made an obscene gesture to Frutos’s 8-year-old daughter. He called police.

Two days later they had a SWAT stand-off with Truetken and eventually arrested him. Truetken spent about two months in jail.

Truetken was also the subject of a protection order from Frutos.

“Those months were really, really hell on us because we couldn`t go to sleep at night or leave the house and leave my girls,” Frutos said.

Frutos eventually moved out of the mobile home and rented it. He said he warned tenants about their neighbors.

“The worst thing is, this whole thing could`ve been prevented if the law would’ve paid more attention to him in the first place,” Frutos asid.