Stratmoor Valley burglary suspect arrested with help of drone surveillance

EL PASO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- The El Paso County Sheriff's Office (EPSO) says a burglary suspect was arrested Tuesday afternoon after deputies used drone technology to locate and stop her before she could leave the area.

According to the sheriff’s office, deputies were called around 2:49 p.m. on May 6 to a reported burglary in progress at a home in the 1200 block of Maxwell Street in the Stratmoor Valley area.

EPSO says the caller described the suspect as wearing a black or blue sweater and driving a blue four-door car.

While patrol deputies responded to the scene, detectives launched a Drone as a First Responder, according to EPSO. Officials say the drone arrived in about three minutes and spotted the suspect near the front of the home, loading boxes into a blue sedan.

Deputies stopped the suspect before she could leave, according to investigators.

EPSO says an investigation found that 43-year-old April Gonzalez unlawfully entered the residence, stole several items, and loaded them into her vehicle, the sheriff’s office said.

Gonzalez was booked on charges of second-degree burglary and theft; however, EPSO says she has since bonded out.

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