09/25/2026
FLOCK CAMERA ASSISTS RIO BLANCO COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE IN BURGLARY INVESTIGATION
MEEKER, COLORADO — The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office is investigating a burglary and theft that occurred at a local business during the early morning hours of September 6, 2026. The investigation highlights both the value of Flock Safety camera technology and the reality that rural communities are not immune from individuals who may travel significant distances to commit property crimes.
At approximately 3:40 a.m. on September 6, a white van entered the secured property of a business located in the Meeker area. The suspect or suspects exited the van and stole nine new heavy-duty commercial tires, primarily designed for use on cement trucks, before leaving the property. As a result of the theft, the victims suffered a business loss of approximately $9,500.
The theft was discovered by the business owners on September 10, at which time the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office was contacted and an investigation was initiated.
Based on information developed during the investigation, the investigating deputy believed the suspect vehicle may have traveled into the area using County Road 8 and later departed by the same route. Working with the Rio Blanco County Dispatch Center, the deputy reviewed data from the Flock Safety camera located near the intersection of County Road 8 and Colorado Highway 13.
The search produced a significant lead.
A white van was captured by the camera traveling through the area at approximately 3:18 a.m., shortly before the burglary occurred. The same vehicle was captured again at approximately 4:00 a.m., shortly after the burglary.
Most importantly, the Flock camera captured a clear image of the vehicle’s license plate.
The license plate was subsequently identified as being registered to a male individual in Aurora, Colorado. The registered owner’s address appeared to be associated with a property containing numerous cement trucks and other pieces of heavy equipment. A review of available law enforcement records concerning the registered owner also revealed a criminal history that included prior contacts involving burglary and theft-related offenses.
The identification of the registered owner does not, by itself, establish that he was the individual operating the vehicle or that he committed the burglary. The identity of the person or persons responsible remains part of the ongoing investigation.
The investigating deputy contacted the Aurora Police Department and requested assistance. Aurora Police Department personnel subsequently utilized a drone to inspect the property associated with the registered owner. The suspect van and stolen tires were not located during that initial effort.
Investigators continued reviewing available Flock data associated with the suspect vehicle. That information indicated the vehicle traveled from the Aurora area to Meeker, was present in the Meeker area during the timeframe of the burglary, and then traveled back toward Aurora following the crime, arriving in the Aurora area at approximately 11:00 a.m. on September 6.
The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office has forwarded the complete investigative case file to the Aurora Police Department for assistance with follow-up investigation within its jurisdiction.
This incident should also serve as a reminder that criminals do not recognize county or municipal boundaries. Rural communities can be attractive targets to individuals who believe they can travel into a smaller community during the early morning hours, commit a crime, and be hundreds of miles away before the crime is discovered.
Meeker and Rio Blanco County should not be viewed as soft targets.
Technology such as Flock Safety cameras gives law enforcement another tool to identify vehicles entering and leaving our communities and to develop investigative leads that simply would not have existed in the past. In this case, a burglary occurred during the early morning hours, the crime was not discovered until several days later, and the suspect vehicle had already traveled hundreds of miles away. Despite those challenges, investigators were able to identify the vehicle, determine its direction of travel, associate it with an Aurora registered owner, and trace its travel between Aurora and Rio Blanco County.
The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office will continue working with our law enforcement partners throughout Colorado to investigate crimes committed against our residents and businesses, regardless of where those investigations may lead.
The investigation remains active. Anyone with information or investigative leads regarding this incident, the suspect vehicle, or the stolen commercial tires is encouraged to contact Operations Lieutenant Jeremy Muxlow with the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office at 970-878-9629.
The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office appreciates the continued cooperation of our community and our law enforcement partners throughout Colorado.
A NOTE REGARDING THE USE OF FLOCK SAFETY TECHNOLOGY
It is the standing policy of the Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office that information obtained through the Flock Safety system will be accessed and utilized only for legitimate law-enforcement and public-safety purposes consistent with safeguarding the lives and property of the residents and visitors of Rio Blanco County.
The Sheriff’s Office recognizes that effective law enforcement and the protection of individual rights are not competing responsibilities. Both are fundamental obligations of this Office.
Access to the Flock system is controlled and its use is subject to auditing and accountability, just as other secure law-enforcement databases and investigative systems used by our deputies are subject to access controls and review. The technology is an investigative tool; it does not replace the legal requirements, policies, and constitutional protections that govern law-enforcement investigations.
The Rio Blanco County Sheriff’s Office will use this technology to identify and investigate criminal activity—not to arbitrarily monitor the lawful activities of residents or visitors. Access to this system carries responsibility, and personnel utilizing it are expected to be able to articulate a legitimate law-enforcement purpose for their use.
Our commitment is straightforward: we will use the lawful tools available to us to protect our community while remaining aggresivly committed to protecting the constitutional rights and privacy of the people we serve.
