Parolee sentenced to 47 years in prison in 2015, now arrested for armed robberies in Colorado Springs

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) -- Calls for "truth in sentencing" in Colorado are being renewed after Colorado Springs Police announced the arrest of a five-time convicted felon, who was on parole from the Department of Corrections, for robbing five convenience stores from Feb. 17 to Feb. 22, 2023.

Eric Garcia, 31, of Alamosa was sentenced to 47 years in prison in 2015 after being convicted of possession of meth, robbery, car theft, escape and burglary. All were serious felony crimes in Colorado, but Garcia was likely given a concurrent sentencing, which means his parole eligibility would come from his longest sentence of 16 years.

Garcia's longest felony sentence, in August 2015, was for burglary. In Colorado, offenders are parole eligible at 50% of their time served after credit for time served is factored in. In recent months, 13 Investigates has spoken with prosectors from both sides of the aisle who say our state needs to majorly re-access our "truth in sentencing" laws.

"If you tell a victim, hey, the person who robbed you at gunpoint is sentenced to, let's say, 18 years in prison. Well, guess what? That probably doesn't mean more than eight, maybe seven. It could be lower than that around nine," 18th Judicial District Attorney John Kellner said.

Kellner's concerns have been echoed from Attorney General Phil Weiser who says there are ongoing conversations about potential reforms in this area of the criminal justice system.

"Colorado has room for improvement on this so that when someone gets sentenced, a prosecutor can tell a victim, here's what it means and it really means what they say," Weiser said.

Kellner says a lack of truth in sentencing may be contributing to a recidivism rate in Colorado that is close to 50%.

"I encourage anybody who is in a policymaking role to take up the mantle, promote truth in sentencing in our state, and let's get this problem under control," Kellner said. "We're at the bottom of most crime rates throughout our entire country, so we've got a long way to go. We need people to be accountable."

Garcia now faces additional felony charges for robbery and resisting arrest after Colorado Springs Police say he attempted to flee from arrest, and in the process, smashed his car into three parked cars. Police say they had to deploy chemical irritants into the suspect’s vehicle before he complied.

He is in the El Paso County Jail on $200,000 bond.