Larimer County Sheriff responds to long holiday weekend of violent crime

The Larimer County Sheriff's Office and other area agencies found themselves responding to several incidents that placed public safety at risk over the holiday weekend. 

Three different incidents in three days made headlines, all of which involved a reported increase in crime in the area. 

It all started Thursday night when deputies attempted to stop a truck that was driving erratically. 

"Our deputies were investigating. Are they intoxicated? Are they under the influence of something?" Sheriff John Feyen said. 

When deputies attempted to stop the truck they reported that the driver drove quickly from the scene. A short pursuit began before the truck then veered off the road and crashed into an electric box. 

"(The truck) went through a fence, ended up on a transformer at one point causing power loss to over 4,000 residents in the Fort Collins area," Feyen said. 

26-year-old Kennedy Queen-Dominguez was arrested after deputies pinned the truck with squad cars on each side. 

Then, on Saturday night, deputies attempted to stop a vehicle off of I-25 and the Mountain Vista exit after noticing expired tags. 

"Unfortunately, in that situation, a foot pursuit ensued. A foot pursuit that ended up on I-25," Feyen said. 

Deputies reported deploying a taser as the driver attempted to run toward the interstate. Investigators are still working to determine if the taser worked effectively before the suspect then made his way onto the interstate. 

Feyen says the suspect made his way onto the interstate where he was struck by a moving vehicle and killed. 

He believes this was not a case of a driver failing to move over for a stopped police vehicle. 

"In this situation, the individual stopped on the off-ramp and ran down the embankment toward I-25. So, it is not like we were parked on the side of the road," Feyen said. 

Then, on Sunday night, a Fort Collins Police Services officer was attempting to bring a female suspect into the county jail following a theft investigation. 

The officer was in the sally port, or parking and intake area, of the Larimer County Jail when suddenly the suspect was able to get ahold of one of his firearms. 

"He, thankfully, was able to retreat to safety," Feyen said. 

The woman, armed, barricaded herself in the police vehicle. She was able to get in the driver's seat and drive the car around the intake area. 

However, she was not able to get out of the garage area as the doors were closed, the jail entrance was locked and SWAT armored vehicles were blocking the doors on the exterior as well. 

The woman allegedly drove around the area several times over a two-hour period with the police lights and siren on while negotiators tried to make contact. 

Eventually, they deployed pepper spray mist canisters into the area and fired pepper balls into the vehicle. Those efforts didn't work by themselves. 

"To encourage her we used some 40mm projectiles. Which are like softballs that come out of a 40mm launcher," Feyen said. 

A K9 then was deployed to help detain and arrest 38-year-old Patricia Rodriguez. She was evaluated and then booked into jail. 

Sheriff Feyen says the increase in recent crime is part of a continuing trend of suspects being more defiant when it comes to cooperating with law enforcement and greater difficulty with properly addressing crime with recent misdemeanor law reform by the state legislature. 

 "The unwillingness to work with us and be accountable for your actions is increasing and putting the public at risk, and putting deputies at risk," Feyen said.