A grand jury in Weld County indicted five people in connection with the theft of more than 50 cars in Northern Colorado since April 2021, the 19th Judicial District Attorney's office announced Monday.
The defendants face accusations of violating Colorado's Organized Crime Control Act, as well as counts of aggravated motor vehicle theft, identity theft, forgery, criminal mischief and distribution of a controlled substance. All told, the five – Amanda Jo Johnson, Austin Ray Carlholm, Ryan Donald Yarwood, Hector Rivera and Jacob Alexander Martinez – are charged with 147 counts.
“I am incredibly proud of our detectives that saw this very long and intricate investigation,” Greeley Police Chief Adam Turk said in a news release.
Investigators believe the people accused stole cars throughout Northern Colorado from places, such as apartment and store parking lots, and then sold them, according to the release. The investigation ran from April 2021 to February this year and included several law enforcement agencies, including the Greeley Police Department and the Colorado State Patrol.
Weld County's statutory grand jury also returned indictments on more than 50 felony counts in July against two people, including Johnson, accused of stealing vehicles from dealerships in Larimer and Weld Counties in 2021.
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