Suspect Targets Convenience Store Donation Jars Across South Metro
DENVER (CBS4) - Investigators have released surveillance images of a man they say is stealing Feed America donation jars from convenience stores in Douglas County.
According to Parker Police, the suspect has stolen the donation jars from four 7-Eleven locations: two on Parker Road in Parker, one on Oswego Street in Douglas County, and another store on Yosemite Street in Lone Tree. The thefts occurred between Feb. 16 and 24, at night and during early morning hours.
At one store, an employee said the suspect asked for a hot dog, distracting the clerk while he grabbed the jar and took off. The employee said another person waited outside the store in a vehicle to help the suspect get away quickly.
According to its website, Feed America serves food banks around the country, including locations in Denver.
"It's supposed to go to a good cause, not to someone's most likely drug money," said 7-Eleven employee Brendan Paul, who works at one of the stores hit. "I kind of find it really ridiculous."
Investigators say the suspect is a white man, between the ages of 20 and 30 years old, approximately 5'10" with brown eyes, wearing glasses, and with his hair pulled back in a ponytail.
He was seen wearing a purple jacket in one of the cases, police say, and may have been working with an accomplice, described as a Hispanic man in his twenties.
At one of the stores, someone saw the suspect enter a late 1990s silver Toyota Camry with an unknown Colorado license plate.
In Weld County, charity donation jars were stolen from four convenience stores along I-25 in Mead and Windsor, according to the Sheriff's Office. These thefts occurred between Feb. 21 and 23.
In these cases, law enforcement are also looking for two suspects, one of which they say distracts the clerk to steal the donation jar and run out of the store, while another suspect waits inside a vehicle.
Surveillance images provided by Weld County investigators show a white man dressed in a purple or dark blue jacket, wearing eye glasses and with his hair pulled back into a ponytail. The jacket appears to match the jacket worn by the suspect in the Douglas County cases.
A request to Parker Police regarding the apparent similarity was not immediately returned Sunday night.
Additional Information from Law Enforcement:
Anyone with information regarding the Weld County crimes is asked to call the Weld County Sheriff's Office at 970-356-4015 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or 1-800-444-3776.
Anyone with information on the Douglas County cases is asked to call the Parker Police Department at 303-841-9800, the Douglas County Sheriff's Office at 303-660-7505 or the Lone Tree Police Department at 303-339-8150.
Lauren DiSpirito is CBS4's Northern Newsroom reporter. Follow her on Twitter @CBS4Lauren. Share your story ideas with her here.
