Missing kids, wanted sex offenders, dangerous fugitives found in Pueblo through joint task force
PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- Friday, Pueblo law enforcement agencies announced thanks to a multi-agency partnership they were able to find more than a dozen missing children and locate multiple wanted fugitives.
Working in coordination with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the U.S. Marshals’ Missing Child Unit and Colorado Violent Offender Task Force joined the Pueblo Police Department, Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office, the Tenth Judicial District Attorney’s Office, Colorado Bureau of Investigation, Colorado State Parole and Drug Enforcement Administration to locate and recover endangered missing children in Pueblo County in an operation dubbed “Operation Steel City Rescue.”
During the three-day operation in Pueblo County, authorities found 15 missing children and arrested or cleared 13 warrants for wanted fugitives, including sex offenders.
The operation span from April 11 to April 13.
Friday morning, a press conference is being held in Pueblo to discuss a recent operation in the community.
According to Kirk M. Taylor, U.S. Marshal for the District of Colorado, planning for the operations began in January with a primary focus to find missing children in the Pueblo area. The project then expanded to include the fugitive round-up.
The focus of Operation Steel City Rescue was to find children who had been reported missing to local law enforcement, entered into the NCIC, and reported to NCMEC as missing. After being found, the Department of Human Services determined where they went.
Officials said the children, ranging from age 15 to 18, were considered some of the most at-risk and challenging recovery cases in the area.
The U.S. Marshals Service was able to assist in the missing child cases thanks to the Justice for Juvenile Victims of Trafficking Act, which was passed in 2015.
"There's a lot of work that goes on behind the scenes, both at DHS (Department of Human Services), behind the scenes, we did a lot of workups on these folks," U.S. Marshal Kirk Taylor said. "We just didn't, you know, show up in Pueblo and start hunting people, the analysts from CBI and from DHS they just did really yeoman's work to make this a success."
Through the task force officials were also able to make 13 arrests and clear warrants for wanted fugitives. A couple of the fugitives were found in jails in other states and are expected to be extradited.
The U.S. Marshals also helped the Cañon City Police Department and the CBI in arresting a man wanted on several drug warrants. When police arrested Robert Borman, officials said investigators found 1,802 fentanyl pills, 13 grams of methamphetamine, and a gun. Through additional warrants executed on residences associated with Borman police found more drugs and weapons.
Combined, CCPD seized 11,302 fentanyl pills worth an estimated $113,020; more than 142 grams of methamphetamine; 5.2 grams of heroin, six guns, and thousands of dollars in cash in this incident.
"I think Pueblo is a safer place today than it was even 72 hours ago, safer for children and safer for the public at large because of the combined efforts of all of these agencies," Pueblo County District Attorney Jeff Chostner said.
A press conference happened Friday morning to discuss Operation Steel City Rescue. Watch below:
