DENVER — Two Denver residents, Tasha Stapleton, 29, and David Spears, 42, are being sought by multiple agencies for their alleged involvement in what police are calling a crime spree spanning at least two Colorado counties.
The pair — known to law enforcement after Stapleton's previous 2014 theft conviction for stealing a radioactive device from a Thornton construction site — are accused of stealing from vehicles in Steamboat Springs and spending over $3,000 with stolen credit cards.
The credit cards were stolen Monday from patrons of Old Town Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs.
Police said Stapleton and Spears used the pretense of a day visit to gain access to the fitness center’s locker rooms. Once inside, police said the pair stole car keys from an unlocked looker and used the keys to break into a victim’s vehicle, taking a purse containing credit cards.
Stapleton and Spears used the cards at a Walmart in Steamboat Springs and the Walmart store in Craig, charging up more than $3,000 on the cards.
“We believe they are on a crime spree on the Western Slope,” said Annette Dopplick, operations commander with the Steamboat Springs Police Department. “There’s no reason to believe they’re still in the city of Steamboat Springs.”
Stapleton was convicted of theft for a 2013 case in which she stole a portable gauge containing radioactive material from a vehicle parked at a construction site in Thornton. Authorities were concerned the device would pose a health risk if it had been damaged.
Police in Steamboat Springs are actively searching for the pair who are believed to reside in Denver. Anyone with additional information regarding this case is encouraged to contact the Steamboat Springs police at 970-879-1144.