Thieves stealing $300 or more are now looking at jail time in Pueblo
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO)--On Monday, the Pueblo City Council passed an ordinance increasing the penalties for theft-related offenses in an effort to curb crime in the Steel City.
This ordinance adds a minimum jail sentence of three days for those convicted of stealing $300 or more.
New data from the Pueblo Police Department shows about a 63% increase in the number of business theft cases from 2021 to 2022.
Given the significant increase in theft-related crimes within the City of Pueblo, the city council hopes this ordinance deters thieves from stealing.
Pueblo Police also believe this will help deter people, especially habitual offenders.
According to the presiding municipal court judge, Carla Sikes, over the last 5 years, 1,732 people were cited with theft, and 10 percent of those cited were habitual offenders.
Sikes said once this ordinance goes into effect, every person caught stealing will have to go in front of a municipal judge.
"We'll see what the numbers show. So I don't know how much that's going to affect our docket. If it affects the docket, then we'll have to make some changes," said Sikes.
Currently, the Pueblo County jail is holding around 25-30 inmates with municipal charges. Sikes said the Pueblo County Sheriff will allow the city to house municipal inmates as long as there is room.
If there is no room in the jail, they will send them to another facility in another county, but she notes that would not be very cost-effective. In turn, the city plans to move inmates with longer sentences to other counties. Then, the person charged with theft would take their spot in the Pueblo County Jail.
According to the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office (PCSO), there are 482 people housed in their jail. Right now, only 27 beds are available.
The PSCO said this time last year, the jail was overcrowded and was over capacity limits.
KRDO reached out to the mayor's office to see if they have been in communication with the county about this potential issue, but they did not respond by our deadline.
According to the city clerk's office, this ordinance is still waiting to get signed by the mayor. This ordinance will become effective 30 days after the final action by the mayor.
