The man who allegedly committed a burglary in the Winter Park Highlands neighborhood of Tabernash on Sept. 26 has been taken into custody and will return to Colorado to face charges.

According to the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, the suspect John William Villines, 41, of Missouri was arrested in Kansas on Sept. 28 by the Lawrence Police Department.

According to a Sept. 30 statement by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Mr. Villines is in the process of being extradited back to Colorado on misdemeanor charges of criminal trespassing, and felony charges of menacing, criminal attempt at risk robbery, and assault at risk.

In Colorado, the most serious charge — “Criminal attempt at risk robbery” — means that a suspect intended to commit robbery against an “at-risk” person and took a substantial step toward completing that act, but the robbery was not completed.

An “at-risk person” is someone with a disability, such as mental illness, developmental disability, blindness, or loss of physical function, making them more vulnerable to crime. 

The victim in this case met the age stipulation of 70 or older, which identified them as an at-risk adult, the sheriff’s office said.

Burglar was confronted in Winter Park Highlands garage by homeowners

At around 4:36 p.m. Sept. 26, the Grand County Communications Center received a call about the break-in at a residence in Winter Park Highlands.

When the homeowners arrived at their residence, they saw a white Volvo and the suspect in their garage. He was wearing a hat and medical mask.

“An altercation occurred between the male homeowner and the male suspect,” the sheriff’s office stated in a news release. “The suspect then fled the scene in the white Volvo.”

The homeowners did not know who the man was. It was determined he’d broken into the residence through a backdoor window.

Deputies who arrived on the scene were able to obtain a name that was consistent with the registered owner of the Volvo, based on property the suspect had left behind. In their investigation, deputies conducted an extensive search of the Winter Park Highlands area, but were unable to locate the suspect.

The Fraser Winter Park Police Department, Granby Police Department, Colorado State Patrol and Grand County Emergency Response Team assisted in the search.