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Aspen Police Believe Con Man Fled From Illegal Shack

ASPEN, Colo. (AP) — Police say they've arrested a man who illegally built a shack on Aspen Mountain and is a con man with a long history of fraudulent behavior.

Detective Jeff Fain says James Hogue was arrested Thursday after a patron spotted him at the Pitkin County Library. Fain says Hogue gave officers an alias, but later admitted his identity.

Hogue most recently came to the attention of police in September, when they received a report from Aspen Skiing Co. employees about the structure. Fain says an officer went to speak to the man inside, but he jumped out a window and ran into the woods.

He was building another shack when police encountered him this week.

Hogue has been the subject of stories in The New Yorker, The New York Times, People Magazine and other publications detailing his criminal past.

(© Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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