Man Arrested in Larimer County After Pursuit Begins in Wyoming

A 29-year-old man was arrested on October 8, following a vehicle pursuit that took place in Larimer County.

At approximately 10:30 a.m., Larimer County Sheriff's Deputies were called to assist the Wyoming Highway Patrol in pursuing a stolen SUV that was travelling southbound on I-25 into Colorado.

As deputies chased the SUV, the suspect continued drive into Wellington. The driver then abandoned the SUV and proceeded to steal another vehicle that was in the driveway of a residence.

LCSO deputies were able to locate the second stolen vehicle, and again initiated a pursuit on southbound I-25. A PIT maneuver was attempted, but wasn't successful in stopping the subject.

The driver in the stolen vehicle continued onto westbound Highway 14 towards Fort Collins, and at this time law enforcement held off on chasing him for safety of other motorists.

Deputies were still monitoring the location of the suspect, and reengaged in the pursuit just east of Timnath. However, once the suspect entered Windsor, the chase was terminated yet again for safety reasons.

According to the Larimer County Sheriff's Office, the suspect was located east of Windsor, near the Vestas manufacturing facility. Police attempted another PIT maneuver at this location, and during this time, the driver entered Vestas property and crashed into a turbine blade. The car then became undrivable and after a short foot pursuit, the suspect was taken into custody.

The suspect was identified as Frank Lopez. Lopez was arrested on allegations of Aggravated Vehicle Theft, Vehicular Eluding, Felony Criminal Mischief, and Driving under Revocation. In addition, Lopez had multiple prior felony warrants out of  Boulder County for Kidnapping and Failure to Comply with Probation.

The Laramie County (Wyoming) Sheriff’s Office will also be filing additional criminal charges against Lopez related to this incident.

No one was injured during the chase, however several fences were damaged.

Multiple agencies assisted in the Larimer county pursuit, including the Wyoming Highway Patrol, Colorado State Patrol, Timnath Police, Windsor Police, and Greeley Police. Anyone with additional information about this incident is asked to call the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office at 970-4161985.