Clear Creek County burglary suspect caught after being spotted in TV news live shots

A man who police say burglarized homes near Idaho Springs this week and triggered a shelter-in-place order for an area along State Highway 103 in Clear Creek County was arrested Friday morning.

The Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office credited two Denver TV stations — CBS Denver and Fox 31 — for reporting the suspect to authorities after reporters in the field noticed him in the background during early morning live shots they were doing as part of their coverage of the situation.

“Great job media!” the sheriff’s office wrote in a 7:35 a.m. update on Facebook.

The agency said the suspect was receiving medical treatment but did not elaborate. The shelter-in-place order was lifted Friday morning.

The Clear Creek Sheriff’s Office warned the public of the alleged intruder’s presence in the area on Thursday, calling him a “trespassing and burglary suspect.” Home surveillance video posted on the sheriff’s office’s Facebook page showed a man in a hoodie with a possible weapon in his hand approaching the door of a home in the area.

Shortly after 6 p.m. Thursday, a deputy spotted the suspect’s vehicle stopped along State Highway 103. Police said the suspect fled in his vehicle and authorities chased him until he crashed. He then fled on foot, police said.

The sheriff’s office put into effect a shelter-in-place order in a 1-mile radius around Idaho Springs and closed State Highway 103 just south of Interstate 70. Several law enforcement agencies launched a search for the suspect, including using a drone and a K9 team. The dogs lost the suspect’s scent at Clear Creek, the sheriff’s office said.

“We are working on the assumption this is the same suspect we posted about earlier and that he may be armed,” the sheriff’s office said on Facebook on Thursday night.