Pair accused of burglarizing home in Waldo Canyon Fire area

Belinda Yates, Shane Garrett

DENVER – Two people have been arrested for allegedly burglarizing a vacated home in the Waldo Canyon Fire evacuation area, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation announced Thursday.

Belinda Yates, 38, and Shane Garrett, 36, are being held on a variety of charges including suspicion of second degree burglary, theft, possession of a controlled substance (methamphetamine), possession of a weapon by a previous offender and theft by receiving.

The CBI says agents arrested the pair in Monument while acting on information developed in “an unrelated investigation surrounding possible identity theft.”

Agents are looking into whether other homes may have been targeted by the suspects, CBI said.

“It’s difficult to believe, but disaster situations prompt some would-be criminals to take advantage of the heartbreak facing residents forced to evacuate their homes,” said CBI Director Ron Sloan. “Law enforcement takes this seriously and will work together to identify and arrest these individuals.”