GYPSUM, Colo. (KDVR) — The Eagle County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man either in his teens or early 20s who went on a stealing spree Monday night.

“Several homeowners called 911 to alert officials when the suspect was captured on doorbell cameras,” Amber Barrett, the public information officer for the Eagle County Sheriff’s Office, said.

One of those neighbors who captured the suspect was Nicole Atencio, who’s lived in Gypsum for the majority of her life. She said her husband received an alert on his phone of motion on their driveway, opened the doorbell app and saw video of the suspect outside with a rifle slung around his back.

“My heart was racing for an hour or longer,” Atencio said.

The suspect targeted the Buckhorn Valley neighborhood just south of the Eagle County airport. The male suspect was seen with a stolen rifle in his hand as he makes his way through the neighborhood.

“We were actually notified by the neighbor that it was his guns this morning,” Atencio said.

According to Barrett, several owners of the vehicles entered Monday night have reported stolen items, including two firearms, and admitted their vehicles were parked unlocked with items of value inside. 

“Just ’cause we live in a rural area doesn’t mean people aren’t coming through neighborhoods,” Barrett said.

In the state of Colorado, a new law went into place back in 2021 to help keep guns out of the hands of teens and the wrong people. The new law will require people to safely store firearms and report a lost or stolen firearm.

“Unlawful storage of a firearm is now a big deal in Colorado. It requires residents of Colorado to secure your firearms or you can be cited. It’s actually a misdemeanor,” Barrett said.

She said depending on the gun owner’s history with guns, it’s likely the theft victim will receive a warning.

“It’s hard to call it a break-in when you left the vehicle unlocked. We can only charge trespassing,” Barrett said.

Atencio said she did feel slightly relieved when she learned the rifle was stolen from a neighbor up the street. She said she would rather have someone carrying around a recently stolen rifle rather than the suspect just carrying around a gun to protect himself if he were to be caught stealing.

“When you see someone holding a rifle, you’re like, holy crap. I’m not confronting this person. We’re staying inside right now,” Atencio said.

The male suspect is described as: 

• A young white male, in his teens to 20 years old.
• Dark short hair with no hat
• Wearing a dark, long-sleeved shirt, light-colored, baggy khaki pants