Court documents show two adults arrested for 12 Pueblo car thefts were out on bail or on probation
Michael Logerwell
PUEBLO, COLO. (KRDO) – Four people are in custody after stealing as many as 12 vehicles over 48 hours. Police say two juveniles and two adults were working in tandem to steal the vehicles — causing thousands of dollars worth of damage after breaking car windows.
Court documents say 24-year-old Gabriel Cervantez posted bond on June 11th, then two days later police arrested him again, after they say he spent that time stealing up to 12 different cars.
“That number of motor vehicle thefts, especially by potentially a singular group, is incredibly large,” Bianca Hicks, spokesperson for the Pueblo Police Department told KRDO13 Investigates.
Pueblo police say they made arrests after the group was found in a stolen vehicle that they crashed while trying to evade capture.
“Not only do you have 12 vehicles stolen, but that also means that you have 12 victims, at least in these cases as well. and for a lot of people, their vehicle is tied to their livelihood,” Hicks said.
KRDO13 Investigates has learned that for the two adults charged, this isn’t their first run-in with the law.
Two weeks ago, Cervantez was charged with possession of a controlled substance and was held in the county jail until Wednesday, June 11th, when he bonded out. Then police say he started on the car theft spree.
Jynessa Wisthoff entered a guilty plea to one count of motor vehicle theft in April 2024. She was subsequently sentenced to 18 months of probation. Now, 14 months later, she’s been charged with another count of car theft.
“When you have folks who have committed crimes, been arrested for those crimes, and then are back out doing those things, or worse, it is a continuing concern for our department,” Hicks explained.
The Pueblo Police Department says that at the beginning of June, car thefts were down 7%, 40 fewer than at this time last year.