WELD COUNTY, Colo. (KDVR) – A Wyoming man suspected of stealing catalytic converters from an RV dealer outside of Longmont was booked into Weld County Jail last week, according to authorities.
Austin Lee Brumfield, 29, is facing felony charges of false reporting to authorities, theft and two counts of first-degree trespass.
The charges stem from 9 a.m. Tuesday, when deputies responded to a report of theft of two catalytic converters worth $5,600 outside the RV dealer, according to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office.
Security camera footage showed a gray Nissan sedan with distinctive damage to the rear passenger door as a possible suspect vehicle.
The sheriff’s office said deputies remembered passing a similar vehicle parked at a nearby motel on their way to the scene. They circled back and found it still parked in the motel parking lot.
As deputies spoke with a woman who was in the backseat, they saw license plates, bolt cutters and Sawzall blades inside the car.
During the investigation, deputies eventually stopped Brumfield and the woman on the street to talk to them. Brumfield gave a fake name — Jack Nickelsen — and a fake date of birth.
Brumfield eventually admitted who he was, saying he lied because he had an active warrant for breaking and entering out of Wyoming.
After a search warrant was obtained to search Brumfield’s car, deputies found several more catalytic converters in the trunk that had been stolen from jurisdictions throughout northern Colorado, according to the sheriff’s office.
The investigation is ongoing and additional charges are pending.
Anyone with information regarding this or any other crime is asked to call the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at (970) 356-4015 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at www.NoCoCrimeStoppers.com. Those submitting tips through Crime Stoppers that lead to the arrest and filing of charges on a suspect(s) may be eligible for a cash reward.