Larimer County Sheriff's Office seeks suspect in vehicle thefts earlier this week
The Larimer County Sheriff's Office is looking for a man they have identified as a suspect in a series of vehicle thefts earlier this week in Fort Collins and Loveland.
On Wednesday afternoon, sheriff's deputies responded to a report of a stolen vehicle on Rachel Court in unincorporated Larimer County east of Fort Collins, according to a previous news release. Deputies located the red Ford F-150 that had been reported stolen and pursued the driver, who eventually abandoned the vehicle. Then, a white GMC pickup truck was reported stolen in the same area, and deputies found it abandoned. After that, the sheriff's office said, the suspect was last seen riding an REI-brand purple beach cruiser bicycle in the area where the GMC was abandoned.
Then on Wednesday evening, deputies responded to a vehicle theft in the area of Garfield Avenue and 50th Street in north Loveland, the sheriff's office said. The search for the suspect prompted law enforcement to send a shelter-in-place alert. Deputies were not able to locate the suspect.
On Friday, the sheriff's office said it is looking for Patrick Gunter, 32, in connection with these incidents. He could be charged with aggravated motor vehicle theft and vehicular eluding, the news release said.
Court documents show that Gunter has an open arrest warrant in a vehicle theft case from January. He hasn't been formally charged in the case.
The sheriff's office advises people to not approach or attempt to contact him directly because he might be armed. Instead, if you have information about his current location, contact law enforcement. You can remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers of Larimer County at 970-221-6868 or www.stopcriminals.org.
All suspects are innocent until proven guilty in court. Arrests and charges are merely accusations by law enforcement until, and unless, a suspect is convicted of a crime.
Coloradoan reporter Sady Swanson contributed to this report.
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Larimer sheriff seeks suspect in Fort Collins, Loveland vehicle thefts
