Fort Collins Man Arrested After Early Morning Burglary and Multi-Agency Pursuit

Fort Collins Police Services arrested a 21-year-old man November 18 following an early morning burglary investigation that required coordination between multiple law enforcement agencies and specialized resources to track and apprehend the suspect.

Nicholas Wilcoxon was taken into custody after officers responded to a burglary in progress at approximately 5:01 a.m. in the 2000 block of Shandy Street. When officers arrived, the suspect had already fled the scene.

Fort Collins Police officers worked with Larimer County Sheriff's Office deputies, an LCSO drone team and an additional K9 unit to track Wilcoxon to the Collins Aire Trailer Park at 401 North Timberline Road. When officers located him, Wilcoxon fled on foot and ran into an unrelated residence before quickly exiting and being apprehended.

Wilcoxon was booked into the Larimer County Jail on multiple charges including one count of class 4 felony robbery by strongarm, two counts of class 3 felony second-degree burglary, one count of class 6 felony theft from burglary valued between $2,000 and $4,999, one count of class 1 misdemeanor unlawful possession of methamphetamine, one count of class 2 misdemeanor resisting arrest and one count of class 2 misdemeanor obstructing a peace officer.

Felony Charges Carry Significant Prison Terms

Second-degree burglary of a dwelling is classified as a class 3 felony in Colorado, carrying a presumptive prison term of four to 12 years, according to Colorado Revised Statutes. Courts can extend sentences from two to 24 years based on extraordinary circumstances or aggravating factors.

Robbery by strongarm, classified as a class 4 felony, carries a presumptive sentence of two to six years with possible extension from one to 12 years. The charge applies when property is taken through force, threats or intimidation without use of a deadly weapon.

Class 6 felony theft carries a presumptive sentence of one year to 18 months, with possible extension from six months to three years. Colorado courts may order sentences to run concurrently or consecutively depending on the circumstances and number of victims involved.

Multi-Agency Response Utilized Specialized Resources

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office maintains certified K9 units and FAA-certified drone teams for suspect tracking and evidence searching during investigations. The LCSO drone team operates a fleet of small unmanned aerial vehicles equipped with visible light and infrared cameras for day and night operations.

Drone operators complete Federal Aviation Administration Part 107 certification and undergo annual tactical and legal compliance retraining. The specialized units are deployed at the request of incident commanders, particularly for fleeing suspects or perimeter surveillance during burglaries in progress.

Both Fort Collins Police Services and the Larimer County Sheriff's Office work under interagency agreements that define authority, protocols and evidence sharing during joint operations. While FCPS maintains primary law enforcement jurisdiction inside Fort Collins city limits, LCSO provides specialized resource support for major incidents.

The Sheriff's Office deployed its drone team approximately 18 times countywide for suspect apprehension in 2023, with five of those deployments occurring in or adjacent to Fort Collins, according to LCSO operational data. K9 units responded to roughly 30 felony suspect apprehension cases countywide in 2024, with approximately 20 percent of annual deployments occurring in Fort Collins or immediate suburbs.

Northeast Fort Collins Area Shows Elevated Property Crime

The 2000 block of Shandy Street and Collins Aire Trailer Park are located in northeast Fort Collins, less than one mile apart. Property crime rates in this section of the city run higher than the citywide average, though below rates found in some central and southern neighborhoods, according to Colorado state crime data.

The Collins Aire area registers two to five burglary calls per year per block, fitting a broader northeast Fort Collins pattern of elevated property crime risk relative to western neighborhoods. Public records from Fort Collins Police Services indicate consistent incidents of theft, burglary and occasional assaults in the area over recent years.

Investigators Seek Additional Victims

Fort Collins Police detectives expressed concern that additional victims of burglaries may exist in the area. Anyone with information who has not already spoken to police should contact Detective Brady Staggers at 970-416-2299.

Residents can also report information anonymously through Larimer County Crime Stoppers at 970-221-6868. The Crime Stoppers program allows tipsters to remain completely anonymous through assigned tip identification numbers.

All charges are accusations by law enforcement, and Wilcoxon must be presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.