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Man Seen Roaming Through School Had 'Nefarious' Purposes

By Karen Morfitt

GOLDEN, Colo. (CBS4) - Golden police are looking for a crook who stole music instruments from Golden High School.

Golden HS theft suspect (From Golden PD)
Musical equipment theft suspect (credit: Golden Police)

The school's surveillance cameras got a good look at the suspect and now investigators are using it to their advantage.

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(credit: CBS)

Capt. Joe Harvey with the Golden Police Department hopes someone will recognize the man and come forward.

Golden HS theft suspect (From Golden PD)
(credit: Golden Police)

"He was in the school for about 25 minutes by himself just wandering about. Clearly was there for nefarious purposes," Harvey said.

The theft happened on Dec. 3 at approximately 6:30 p.m. while the school was hosting an event.

GOLDEN HS THEFT 10PKG.transfer_frame_579
(credit: CBS)

Harvey says the video footage shows the man roaming the halls before dipping into the music room and then leaving with three violins worth nearly $3,000.

Given the circumstances, and with a clear snapshot of their suspect, Harvey says reaching out to the public can be their most valuable tool.

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CBS4's Karen Morfitt interviews Capt. Joe Harvey. (credit: CBS)

"They get just as angry when they see this type of crime to students as we do, and most of the time we get a lead that ends up resulting in an arrest," Harvey said.

A number of people raised concerns about the timing of the release on the department's Facebook page.

In a statement a spokesperson for GPD says, "We have just one school resource officer to cover Golden High School. There was a case at the time that was more time sensitive and took priority for her to work on before she could get to this case. At no time did we feel that the students were in danger. Since the investigation began, our SRO followed up on all leads she had, but none of them panned out which is why we are now asking the public for help to identify the individual in the photo."

If you have any information about the case, call Officer Jamie Guess at 303-215-8873.

Karen Morfitt joined the CBS4 team as a reporter in 2013. She covers a variety of stories in and around the Denver metro area. Connect with her on Facebook, follow her on Twitter @karenmorfitt or email her tips.

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