Shelter-in-place issued after suspect breaks into multiple homes, businesses in Manitou Springs

MANITOU SPRINGS, Colo. (KRDO) – A Manitou Springs man is now in custody after he reportedly broke into multiple homes and businesses in the downtown area, prompting a shelter-in-place.

According to the Manitou Springs Police Department (MSPD), on Thursday, July 3 at around 7:30 p.m., officers received a report of a "suspicious person" unlawfully entering a home on Washington Avenue. The caller said they didn't know the person who had broken into their residence.

When officers arrived, the suspect, now identified as Robert Michael Callan, had already fled, MSPD said.

While officers worked to investigate the original call, MSPD said they began receiving more 911 calls from residents, who reported that a person was entering or attempting to enter multiple homes and businesses in the downtown area.

Callers consistently reported that the suspect seemed to be looking for a place to hide, police said.

Officers weren't able to immediately locate the suspect. Due to the number of reports they had received and the potential risk the suspect posed, MSPD issued a shelter-in-place alert for a 1/4 mile radius around where the suspect had been reported.

"The alert advised residents to lock doors and windows, verify the security of their homes, and remain alert while law enforcement continued to search," the department said.

Around 90 minutes after that alert was issued, officers found Callan in the basement of a building downtown close to the Penny Arcade.

He was arrested and taken to the El Paso County Jail. He now faces charges of first-degree criminal trespass.

MSPD said misinformation was circulating that the suspect was armed, but clarified that no weapon was displayed or discovered during the incident. The department currently doesn't believe he was armed at any point.

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