It seems not even a sheriff's office is immune to break-in attempts. In a rather bold and brazen effort, a man attempted to burglarize the El Paso County Sheriff's Office facility in downtown Colorado Springs. The would-be burglar, however, didn't get past the front door, instead leaving behind a trail of vandalism.
Early Friday morning, patrolling deputies were alerted to signs of vandalism at the Sheriff's Office, located at 27 E. Vermijo Ave. Upon reviewing security footage, they observed a suspect, later identified as 62-year-old Mitchell Highsmith, trying and failing to force his way into the building at around 4:20 AM. His failure sparked a destructive response as he proceeded to damage security hardware attached to the building. The man's distinctive clothing proved to be his undoing when he was spotted later that morning, still dressed in the same clothes, by Sheriff's Office employees, who were repairing the damage from his earlier outburst.
The suspect was seen walking across the street toward Centennial Hall, at 200 S. Cascade Avenue, where deputies made contact and confirmed that he was the same individual from the security footage. He was promptly arrested and hit with a couple of charges for his attempted early morning break-in. According to the El Paso County Sheriff's Office, Highsmith now faces "Criminal Attempt – Second-Degree Burglary and Felony Criminal Mischief."
