The Weld County Sheriff's Office is asking the public for help locating Santino Petrus, the latest name featured in the agency's weekly Warrant Wednesday campaign. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is urged to call (970) 304-6464 or email [email protected].
The appeal is part of a recurring Warrant Wednesday series from the Weld County Sheriff's Office, which spotlights individuals with active arrest warrants across the county. Charges against Petrus are accusations, and he, like all defendants, is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
How Weld County Tracks Down Wanted Suspects
Behind each Warrant Wednesday post is a judicial process that starts long before a name ever reaches Facebook. Under Colorado Revised Statutes § 16-3-108, a judge or magistrate can only issue an arrest warrant after reviewing a sworn affidavit that establishes probable cause a crime occurred and that the named person committed it, according to Justia Law. The sheriff's office also has a specialized Strike Team for warrant work.
That legwork often lands with the sheriff's office's specialized Strike Team, which actively tracks, locates, and apprehends suspects with felony and misdemeanor warrants across Northern Colorado, as Hoodline reported in coverage of a prior Warrant Wednesday post. The unit's work is made more difficult by the sheer size of the territory it covers — Weld County spans more than 4,000 square miles, making it Colorado's third-largest county by land area, and its population reached roughly 375,000 residents in 2025, according to Weld County Government. The sheriff's office also asks the public to share tips about people with active warrants.
A Backlog That Keeps Growing
The county's judicial system processes a substantial volume of cases each year. Weld County sits within Colorado's 19th Judicial District, where courts logged 34,518 total case filings in fiscal year 2024, including 22,734 county court cases and 11,784 district court cases, per the Colorado Judicial Branch. That caseload has contributed to a persistent backlog of more than 10,000 active criminal arrest warrants across Weld County agencies at any given time.
Sheriff Steve Reams oversees a staff of more than 450 employees spanning patrol, detentions, court security, and volunteer divisions. The sheriff's office has used weekly social media alerts to publicize outstanding warrants. The approach has a track record: in Greeley, the county seat and Weld County's most populous city, municipal police data from 2023 showed that social media crowdsourcing through Warrant Wednesday-style features directly contributed to arresting 75 percent of featured suspects.
Options for Tips or Turning In
People who believe they know where Petrus might be can call the tip line or send an email, the same two channels the sheriff's office has used throughout its Warrant Wednesday series. Those wishing to remain anonymous also have the option of contacting Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers by calling 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or texting NOCO to 274637. Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards.
Individuals with active warrants also have the option of resolving their cases directly rather than waiting for deputies to find them. The Weld County Sheriff's Office notes that people can turn themselves in at the Weld County Combined Courts Clerk's Office in Greeley on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 4:00 p.m., or at the Weld County Jail at 2110 O Street at any time.
