Woman arrested twice in under a week in different counties

PUEBLO COUNTY, Colo. (KRDO) -- A woman who was arrested for allegedly stealing from a Colorado Springs dealership over the weekend is back in jail. This time she's in Pueblo County. Aleeyah Niknami was arrested after the Pueblo County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) says she went along with trying to steal a tractor. She, and a man named Brandt Boden, were both found on Walker Ranch.

RELATED: El Paso County auto-theft suspects arrested on Pueblo County ranch after trying to steal tractor

Deputies say the pair attempted to drive off in the tractor, but they also ran over one of the gates on the Walker Ranch.

Remington Walker is the third generation rancher who helped PCSO locate Niknami and Boden. He says he knew something was off when he saw the tractor moving. So he drove up and got them to pull over and get out of the tractor. Walker contacted law enforcement as the pair started to walk off into the pasture. He says it was nerve-racking, but he had to get the tractor back, because losing it would be detrimental to the ranch. 

"To have that stolen or destroyed, it's very impactful, you know, I mean, we don't have a lot of just money laying around to go buy another one," explained Walker.

He says those types of tractors cost around $250,000 and generations of ranchers before him have worked to be able to afford one. But at the end of the day he says he's grateful for the ranch's close relationship with the Sheriff's Office and for their swift response.

"You've got to feel sorry for law enforcement. You know, they go and they apprehend these bad people. and then they get turned out, they bond out. And then they come down and commit more crimes," stated Walker.

Right now Niknami is facing multiple theft and narcotics charges, the latest are compliance in the attempted theft and an outstanding warrant, which landed her in the Pueblo County Jail. The arrest comes just days after getting out of the El Paso County Jail. Her story is reminiscent of a topic KRDO13 has covered in the past: repeat offenders. 

Jill Gates is one of the people spearheading the charge to help incarcerated people stay out of jail.
She says it's a challenge, but she loves it. She runs the Jail-Based Behavioral Services (JBBS) program.

"We get them set up while they're in the facility, and then we work on transitioning them back out into the community with us," explained Gates.

She says they do group sessions for mental health challenges and substance abuse. They even work with participants for a year after their release to make sure they're set in the community. 

"That's one thing we don't do. We do not give up. If there's somewhere, if there's something we can do for them, we will do it," shared Gates.

Participants in the JBBS program volunteer to opt-in, or they can be referred to the program. You can contact Jill Gates at 719-583-6489 to make a referral.

PREVIOUS: Nearly $10,000 worth of tires and rims stolen from Colorado Springs car dealership, says police

Niknami has two other open cases in El Paso County, the one from the car dealership and one with drug charges from earlier in the month.