Brit Ellerman stopped at the First Street Safeway in Fort Lupton with her girlfriend on March 5 just to grab some things for lunch. They were in the store for about eight minutes, he said.
“When we got out, there was a strange car with a guy sitting in it; as we got closer to my truck, it sped off,” Ellerman said.
He didn’t think much of it at the time, but it would end up costing him thousands of dollars, despite taking his personal security seriously, with cameras in his home and trackers on his trucks.
“I have an ax to grind because it’s a big issue in Colorado,” Ellerman said. “It bothers me that for other people who have a car worth $4,000 or less there’s almost no incentive for the police to find it because they think the insurance will cover it. We don’t have government support, they let these people go and then just charge them with a misdemeanor.”
Ellerman and his girlfriend didn’t notice anything wrong until they pulled out of the supermarket parking lot. She noticed that her make-up bag was missing, so they went back to the parking lot to check if she had accidentally dropped it.
More than makeup
It was while they were looking for it that they realized some things were scrambled out of place and others were simply gone. For example, Ellerman said they keep a box of tissues in the console of the truck. The box had been removed from the seat, but neither of them remembered removing it.
“I opened the glove box and all the registration papers were gone from the vehicle. I noticed that the keys to my truck that is parked at our ranch and the garage openers were stolen. It was not good that they had our address,” he said. Ellerman said.
There they called the police and filed a complaint on the spot, giving police the description of the suspect car that drove off.
It wasn’t until they got home after filing the report that they discovered the thieves had gone straight to their ranch and stolen their other truck, a white 2022 Dodge F-350, and their two-horse Bloomer trailer Sunshine Classic bright orange. – In total, a loss of $200,000, he estimates.
Ellerman said his family has been in the community for more than 40 years and bought and sold real estate in Fort Lupton. He grew up in Fort Lupton, went to school here, went to college in Wyoming and lived briefly in Texas. But Fort Lupton has been his main residence. He also helped coach basketball and is in business in Fort Lupton.
He’s seen that change, but said his area is mostly rural and feels safe.
“A lot of us have cameras, so you can see when the vehicle and the trailer come out,” Ellerman said. “My area was very rural and now it’s grown, we’re very sheltered,” Ellerman said.
His friends and a neighbor were out riding horses during the robbery. His other neighbor was about 100 yards from his barn, grilling on the porch. Ellerman said he has a huge dog that wasn’t outside at the time. The thieves seemed to know how to get through the door, where to go and how to get out.
“It was premeditated or calculated. We have neighbors that come over all the time, we have events, people that come and work for me that are in and out of here, as well as my family and friends,” Ellerman said.
Even tracking devices didn’t help. Ellerman said the thieves drove about a mile from his home and parked behind an oil well site along a cul-de-sac. There, they removed the tracking devices and continued. A camera at the oil well site caught them doing this, he said.
“That tells me it’s not their first time, it’s a calculated type of criminal ring or organization,” he said.
He points out that it’s not usually a crime-friendly neighborhood. Thieves were taking chances, he said.
“Everybody in the neighborhood is armed, they’re licensed and they’re licensed,” he said. “So it was cheeky.”
Still, he believes the rewards outweigh the risk. They said they were willing to steal $200,000 worth of vehicles and items in the middle of the day on a Sunday with neighbors outside and cameras.
“When there are these types of crimes and nothing is done about them, because there are no consequences, it hurts businesses, it lowers property values, it lowers people’s sense of safety and it hurts the whole community,” Ellerman said. . “This needs to be taken seriously and something needs to be done.”
Popular target trucks
The Weld County Sheriff’s Office said they are investigating Ellerman’s case but have no updates. Sheriff Steve Reams said it’s a good example of how emboldened criminals have become.
“We hope the public can help in this case, and please don’t be afraid to report suspicious behavior,” Reams said.
According to data from the Weld County Sheriff, about 2,282 vehicles were stolen in Weld County between January 2022 and March 2023. The department has an 82 percent recovery rate.
Trucks like Ellerman’s are prime targets for thieves. Pick-up trucks of various makes and models make up the top five types of stolen vehicles in Weld County, accounting for nearly 300 of the vehicles reported stolen.
It’s a growing problem across the county. Fort Lupton reported 110 vehicle thefts, according to data from Weld County.
Reams suggests drivers follow the Colorado Auto Theft Prevention Authority’s prevention tips to combat auto theft. He recommends that they make sure to lock their doors, roll up their windows and take their keys with them. Never leave them on the dashboard, seat or center console.
Drivers should put your keys in a pocket or wallet when leaving the vehicle and must designate a place in the home to keep keys, such as the kitchen or a mudroom. Never leave keys in a vehicle, even in a locked garage, and make sure tturn off the engine when you are not in your car.
The garage should be securely locked with bright lights activated by motion outside. He also recommended not leaving financial information, checks, receipts or other personal information from your car. Drivers should check their car’s registration receipt and only keep the part that doesn’t have their home address on the vehicle.
Ellerman asks if you see the stolen truck and trailer, call the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at 970-356-4015 or Ellerman at 303-717-2836.
Weld County Sheriff’s email to report tips: crimetips@co.weld.co.us.
