LONGMONT, Colo. — A northwest Colorado couple is happy to be reunited with their beloved 2012 Dodge Charger after it was stolen from the airport's parking lot.
A thief stole the car, which belonged to Shannon Davis and her husband Nick, from the Pikes Peak parking lot at Denver International Airport at the end of June. Denver7 reported on the theft then, as Shannon had left a necklace containing her father's ashes inside the car and wanted it back.
Nick shared at the time how much it meant to her.
"She was in tears, sobbing. Just destroyed," he said.
Days after the car was stolen, a Longmont police officer spotted it near 10th Avenue and Main Street and pulled the driver over. The officer said he knew something was awry because the vehicle had a stolen Texas license plate.
The couple sitting inside the car said they had no idea it was stolen, police said. They said they had found the car online for sale and gave the "seller" several thousand dollars in cash for it in person. They believed the sale was legitimate because they received a title, which ended up being fake.
"Now, they're out their cash and they're out their car because it's a stolen car," Longmont Police Department Chief Jeff Satur said.
Shannon said the car has some damage, but nothing too terrible.
Satur said he doesn't know how common this is but it has happened before.
"Unfortunately, it's connected to a bigger ring, and we just happened to be one of the agencies that intercepted that car," Satur said. "I'm compassionate, and I don't want that to happen to anybody in our state, so take a little time just to investigate and it will save you a lot of trouble."
If you're buying a car from someone, Satur said he recommends running a CARFAX report and making sure the title's owner matches the seller's ID.
"Don't let them give you a plate because that should be another red flag," Satur said.
The case was referred back to Denver police, and a department spokesperson said nobody has been arrested in connection to this case.
Shannon and Nick did not find the necklace when they picked the car up from a Longmont tow lot.
"Unfortunately, there's more victims in this. It's not just us. It's also the couple that purchased the vehicle," Nick said.
The couple said they will never park at Denver's airport again.
"I hope this doesn't happen to any more people, but I, unfortunately, know it will," Nick said.
According to Denver police, as of this past Sunday, about 169 cars have been stolen from the airport's parking lots so far this year.