'Operation Night Siders': Boulder County DA's Office indicts 12 in suspected construction thefts

Nicky Andrews, Daily Times-Call, Longmont, Colo.
·2 min read

Mar. 1—The Boulder County District Attorney's Office has indicted 12 people following an investigation into a suspected theft ring that targeted construction sites across the Denver-metro area.

According to a Boulder County District Attorney's Office release, Abiel and Jesus Castillo-Medina, Arturo Reza Olivan, Alejandro Pineda-Vergara, Esperanza Hernandez, Wilfredo Martinez-Castejon and Bryan Macias Espinoza were all taken into custody following what officials are calling "Operation Night Siders."

Abiel and Jesus Castillo-Medina and Martinez-Castejon are being held on $500,000 cash-only bonds. Olivan, Pineda-Vergara, Hernandez and Espinoza are being held on $25,000 bonds.

According to the release, there is one suspect who remains at large and therefore has not been publicly identified.

According to the release, all 12 defendants are facing up to 24 years in prison on second-degree felony Colorado Organized Crime Control Act charges and felony theft charges.

The group is accused of casing lumber yards or locations with building materials where they would locate items to steal. Once they targeted a location, they would return at night to complete the theft by often using a lookout and cutting a hole into a fence at the property.

The defendants are accused of then loading the materials into vehicles, which included rented U-Haul trucks, before driving to various storage units in the metro area.

According to the release, the materials were then posted for sale on social media platforms. The total value of the stolen materials is $310,002.03, with property damage totaling $15,022.38.

The thefts reportedly occurred at 28 sites across the Denver-metro area in Adams, Boulder, Douglas and Denver counties.

A case was presented to the Boulder County grand jury, which returned the indictments on Feb. 23.

"Crime rings may want to avoid Lafayette," Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty said in a statement. "Once again, the Lafayette Police Department led a multi-agency response to pursue leads and bring down a major crime ring operating all throughout the metro area. I greatly appreciate the Lafayette Police Department's ability and effort to chase down crimes impacting victims and communities throughout the metro region. These indictments are a direct result of their hard work and the collaboration with all the agencies involved."

Added Lafayette police Chief Rick Bashor said in a statement, "The Lafayette Police Department values our community's safety and security. The outcome of this large investigation was the result of solid teamwork by area law enforcement agencies, led by the members of the city of Lafayette Police Department. We appreciate the hard work and dedication from everyone involved to make this a success."

Court dates, affidavits and booking photos for the defendants were not immediately available.