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Police arrest suspects in pot shop burglaries

Two Aztec 20-year-olds in custody
Rocky Mountain High Dispensary, which recently opened a new shop at 120 E. 36th St. off north Main Avenue, had its medical marijuana dispensary on County Road 250 burglarized in February. Both suspects were caught and charged with crimes.

Four suspects in two marijuana dispensary burglaries overnight Sunday have been identified, and two already are in custody.

All the named suspects are from Aztec. Seth Hill, 20, and Andrew Joreid, 20, turned themselves in to the San Juan County (New Mexico) Sheriff’s Office on Thursday, where they are being held awaiting extradition to Colorado. The sheriff’s office is seeking a third adult, Alexander Lang, 19, and one 17-year-old male juvenile.

“Many of these suspects believe that they can easily score marijuana and cash from these dispensaries,” Durango Police Department Lt. Ray Shupe said. “When they get inside, they find that all of the product and cash is locked up better than most bank vaults.”

During interviews, the suspects said they came to Durango with the express purpose of breaking into marijuana dispensaries and cars. They went home empty-handed.

Santé Alternative Wellness on Main Avenue was struck at 11:43 p.m. Sunday, and the alarm went off less than half an hour later at 12:12 a.m. Monday at Animas Herbal Wellness on Camino del Rio. Video from surveillance cameras showed two males throwing rocks and a concrete block through glass doors to get into the dispensaries. Video also showed their vehicle.

Because they’re in another state, the police department had to request warrants for their arrest. The four suspects are being charged with second-degree burglary, a Class 3 felony. The warrant requires the three adults to be held on $25,000 bond after they are booked into the La Plata County jail. The juvenile, once arrested, will be held on no bond.

Durango’s newest recreational marijuana dispensary, Rocky Mountain High Marijuana Dispensary has opened at the intersection of Main Avenue and E. 36th St. The company’s medical marijuana dispensary on County Road 250 was the scene of an armed robbery in February.

“State-of-the-art alarm systems and high-definition video surveillance definitely give the advantage to the police when responding to these crimes,” Shupe said. “So far, all of our marijuana burglaries and robberies have been solved by the Durango Police Department. I’m not saying it’s an impossible crime to commit, but the odds of getting away with it are really slim.”

abutler@durangoherald.com

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