Theft is charged in Fort Collins and Larimer County when a person takes a thing of value from another. This could be money, electronics or even bicycles. It’s no surprise that those looking to take a bike (bike thieves) would target the Colorado State University campus, as the campus is ripe with bicycles galore! In fact, it is reported that there are approximately 8,000 bikes on campus each day. In 2019, 175 bikes were reported stolen and even with the fewer students on campus due to COVID, this year has resulted in 12 stolen bikes. So, CSU police have found a way to help catch these bike thieves – bait bikes. These bikes are fitted with GPS trackers and strategically placed where bicycles are more likely to be stolen. Once the bike is taken, the officers can track it and charge the person who took it. CSU police report that the bait bike program has resulted in 14 felony charges and 19 misdemeanor charges since it was started.
Theft Charges in Larimer County: Colorado Definition of Theft Related to Bike Thieves
The Larimer County, Colorado law definition of Theft – C.R.S. 18-4-401 – is:
(a) Intends to deprive the other person permanently of the use or benefit of the thing of value;
(b) Knowingly uses, conceals, or abandons the thing of value in such manner as to deprive the other person permanently of its use or benefit;
(c) Uses, conceals, or abandons the thing of value intending that such use, concealment, or abandonment will deprive the other person permanently of its use or benefit;
(d) Demands any consideration to which he or she is not legally entitled as a condition of restoring the thing of value to the other person; or
(e) Knowingly retains the thing of value more than seventy-two hours after the agreed-upon time of return in any lease or hire agreement.
Likely any bike thieves related to bait bikes would be charged under subsection (a).
Sentence for Theft in Loveland and Estes Park
In Fort Collins, Loveland, and Estes Park, Theft can be charged as a petty offense, misdemeanor, or felony depending on the value of the item taken:
Theft is:
- A class 1 petty offense if the value of the thing involved is less than fifty dollars;
- A class 3 misdemeanor if the value of the thing involved is fifty dollars or more but less than three hundred dollars;
- A class 2 misdemeanor if the value of the thing involved is three hundred dollars or more but less than seven hundred fifty dollars;
- A class 1 misdemeanor if the value of the thing involved is seven hundred fifty dollars or more but less than two thousand dollars;
- A class 6 felony if the value of the thing involved is two thousand dollars or more but less than five thousand dollars;
- A class 5 felony if the value of the thing involved is five thousand dollars or more but less than twenty thousand dollars;
- A class 4 felony if the value of the thing involved is twenty thousand dollars or more but less than one hundred thousand dollars;
- A class 3 felony if the value of the thing involved is one hundred thousand dollars or more but less than one million dollars; and
- A class 2 felony if the value of the thing involved is one million dollars or more.
The value of the bike really depends, so a really expensive bike could be in the felony range of sentencing if the value was $2,000 or more. A bike valued less than $2,000 would result in a misdemeanor charge.