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Car thefts up in Grand

One of six recent car thefts in Grand County was a 2007 black Honda Pilot owned by Granby Paralympian Jane Sowerby. Two pairs of sit skis were in the car when it was stolen.
Courtesy Mark Urich

A surge of car thefts and break-ins across Grand County have police reminding people to lock their cars, remove valuables and not leave the keys in the car.

Since December, six vehicles have been reported stolen, including a black Honda Pilot belonging to a Granby Paralympian that contained two sets of sit skis. Over the same time period in 2019 and 2020, there were no car thefts reported.

Police have also had several reports of stolen vehicle parts, particularly catalytic converters, and break-ins. In the fall, Kremmling police investigated a string of car break-ins that’s resulted in one arrest so far.



In many of the Kremmling break-ins, as well as the two car thefts reported to the Fraser Winter Park Police, the cars were unlocked or the keys were inside.

Fraser Winter Park Police Chief Glen Trainor said the recent thefts were likely crimes of opportunity.



“Both of the auto thefts we’ve had in the last month had their keys in the vehicle,” Trainor said. “The last auto theft we had … they also tried to steal another vehicle in the same general area that night, but they weren’t able to successfully steal it.”

While it’s hard to know exactly why the increase is happening, Trainor noted the surrounding Front Range and mountain communities are seeing similar rises in vehicle crimes recently.


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