Lakewood family wants to see suspect behind bars after RV is converted into a "meth lab"
Editor's note: On Thursday, March 31 following air of this story and publication the night before, Lakewood Police Department confirmed suspect James McCdonald, 39, faces charges for second-degree burglary and first-degree motor vehicle theft in connection to the Sondrup's stolen RV case.
The family of a stolen RV is asking police to put the suspect behind bars. The Sondrup's told CBS News Colorado they have a good idea about who the suspect is, thanks to pictures from viewers and information from another department. Lakewood Police Department arrested a him initially in connection to another auto-theft incident.
The Sondrups said the same suspect could be the person who stole their motor home. The family is asking for that suspect to be behind bars.
We first brought you this story earlier in March when Jeff Sondrup and his family was asking for the community's help locating their luxury RV home.
"To have to get rid of that motor home it is just heartbreaking," Sondrup expressed.
It's a sentiment he continues to harp on as the reality of getting his motor home to its original state has become nearly impossible.
"We did have some people in Park County reach out to us after they saw one of your news reports," Sondrup said. "They took pictures. They were suspicious, and we have pictures of the people who stole it."
A week later, the vehicle was recovered at this storage facility in Englewood, but the family's road to justice is far from over.
"We do have insurance, but they only cover $5,000 for the stuff inside. We had up to $11,000 of stuff," Sondrup said.
An initial at-home test for meth contamination came back negative.
But after hiring a professional team to test the motor home, they were warned the rave is considered a "meth lab" inside.
"They told us anybody that goes into that motor home needs to be in a hazmat suit," Sondrup added.
Sondrup and his wife had no clue and were both inside, cleaning the RV.
"I am a little concerned of the contamination and the health issues that come with it," Sondrup said.
For now, they're being careful and staying away from the RV, since the test came back positive.
But they want the suspect behind bars.
"The day the RV was recovered, Sheridan police called me and gave me the names of the people who stole it; Arapahoe County did too," Sondrup said.
Lakewood PD had not confirmed this.
The suspect was scheduled to be in court on Friday for a separate auto-theft case, and he has an extensive criminal history.
The family was also expected to be at the court hearing Friday for the other case.
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