Two arrested in alleged wire theft; drone helps locate suspect

Weld County sheriff’s deputies arrested two people in connection with an alleged wire theft after a patrol drone helped locate one suspect, the Weld County Sheriff’s Office (WCSO) said.

WCSO said Anderson was arrested over the weekend on suspicion of possession of burglary tools, theft of $2,000 to $5,000, criminal mischief involving a business and $300 to $1,000, and second-degree criminal trespass. Lebsack was taken into custody Sept. 27 during a traffic stop on suspicion of conspiracy to commit felony theft after probable cause was established later in the investigation, WCSO said. WCSO said deputies recovered wire reportedly taken from the business, valued at roughly just over $4,000, along with other items the office said would have assisted Anderson in the alleged crime. The office said all charges are accusations and defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.

On Sept. 25, shortly before 9 p.m., WCSO patrol responded to a trespass in progress at a business in the 800 block of 25th Ave., the sheriff’s office said. WCSO said deputies were given a description of a female suspect who reportedly entered the property and took wire from the business. A drone pilot searching for the suspect soon saw a woman south of the Poudre River Trail on North 25th Ave. who appeared to match the description. Deputies contacted her and identified her as 39-year-old Karina Anderson; they also found a large cut in the business owner’s fence several feet from where the wire was taken, the sheriff’s office said.

The sheriff’s office said deputies contacted a Jeep parked on the west side of 25th Ave. by the Poudre Trail, where the female suspect was reportedly last seen. The driver was later identified as 49-year-old Jarrod Lebsack. After interviewing Lebsack, deputies initially believed he was not involved, and he left the scene shortly after being contacted, the office said.