Escaped Inmate Stealing Cars And Credit Cards, Sheriff Says
JEFFERSON COUNTY, Colo. (CBS4) - An inmate who escaped from jail in Jefferson County earlier this week is stealing more cars and credit cards, the sheriff's office believes.
"He's not hiding, that's for sure," sheriff's spokesman Mark Techmeyer said.
Travis Sandlin, 32, broke through a small gap in wire fencing and jumped down several roofs to escape on Sunday evening during an outdoor recreational period. The sheriff's department believes he immediately stole a car, ditched it and then stole another near Interstate 70 and El Rancho Road.
The latest car and credit card thefts have occurred in Highlands Ranch and the Castle Pines area. The sheriff's office said Sandlin is swiping cars that have keys left in the ignition and has burglarized open garages.
"He's walking in, the car is parked there and the keys are left in the car," Techmeyer said. "Also, there have been purses left in these cars so credit cards have been stolen as well."
The credit cards have been used across the metro area, the sheriff's office said. The most recent car theft was of a Subaru Impreza in Highlands Ranch.
Surveillance video that captured him shows Sandlin has shed the grey jail jumpsuit he escaped in and shaved the sides of his head, although the hair on the top of his head is longer. He is still sporting facial hair.
Sandlin is 6 feet tall and weighs 185 pounds. He might be injured, jail authorities said, because he had to leap across rooftops to flee. It was the first time in that facility's 27-year history that an inmate escaped.
Sandlin is facing a drug, weapons, burglary and car theft charges. He has a long rap sheet that goes back 15 years that includes burglary, car theft and fraud. He was also required to register as a sex offender after a Peeping Tom incident in 2003.
The sheriff's office said it will be easier to catch Sandlin because he's stayed in the area.
"It is a little surprising," Techmeyer said. "You would think after an escape from a jail like that that he would be really hitting it to get out of town."
Anyone who spots Sandlin should call 911. Anyone with information is asked to call the sheriff's office tip line at 303-271-5612.
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