MONDAY, April 27, 2026 |
Photo – Suspect in Colorado burglary Tom Piantes – Courtesy Carbon County Sheriffs Office
Carbon County sheriff’s deputies assisted Colorado authorities in apprehending a fleeing suspect.
Last week, Sheriff Alex Bakken announced on social media that on Wednesday, April 22nd, dispatchers received a report that several firearms were stolen from a ranch in northern Moffat County, Colorado. The suspect was said to be heading north toward Baggs.
Sheriff Bakken wrote that Carbon County sheriff’s deputies and Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers responded to the area, while officers from the Colorado State Patrol searched for the suspect.
Eventually, the suspect was found and taken into custody without incident.
The Grand Junction, Colorado-based news website WesternSlopeNow.com reported additional details about the incident. Colorado authorities identified the suspect as 78‑year‑old Tom Piantes of Utah. According to the report, a rancher confronted Piantes while he was allegedly stealing firearms from the rancher’s property. The Moffat County Sheriff’s Office was called and the suspect fled north in a silver-colored car.
Moffat County deputies began searching for Piantes, working their way north on Colorado Highway 13 toward the Wyoming border. In Baggs, residents informed officers that the suspect vehicle had been seen heading east toward Dixon on Wyoming Highway 70.
WesternSlopeNow.com reported that a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper joined the search, and the suspect’s car was found roughly five and a half miles from Baggs at an abandoned property on County Road 722, also known as Sheehan Lane.
Moffat County deputies surrounded the home and requested additional support from the Wyoming Highway Patrol and the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office. While they waited for help, Piantes allegedly attempted to flee again. Officers deployed a spike strip to deflate the vehicle’s tires, and Piantes was taken into custody without further incident.
After searching the abandoned property, the Moffat County Sheriff’s Office reported recovering all of the stolen firearms.
Piantes was charged with possession of stolen property, possession of narcotics, trespassing, and burglary, and was taken to the Carbon County Jail. The Moffat County Sheriff’s Office has indicated it will seek an arrest warrant for additional criminal offenses in Colorado.
Moffat County Sheriff Chip McIntyre is quoted as saying “This case is a strong example of coordinated law enforcement efforts, engaged citizens and proactive policing resulting in a safe resolution.”
