On May 12, police were called to respond to TruWest Auto in Cortez regarding property damage and the theft of eight vehicles and five sets of keys.

According to the police report obtained by The Journal, employee Arturo Reyes reported that the gate to the back lot “had been pulled out of the ground,” appearing to have been driven through. The washroom bay door was also open when Reyes arrived at work around 6:45 a.m.

According to the police report written by officer Koltan Guttridge, those eight stolen vehicles are:

The 2019 Ford F150 was recovered in the parking lot of Mesa Elementary School, and the 2023 GMC Acadia was “recovered in the 22000 block of Road G,” Guttridge reported.

According to a different police report written by officer Ryan Hancock, the GMC Acadia was found with “rear-end damage” and a blown out “rear driver’s-side tire.”

A key belonging to a Jeep Compass Latitude was also found near the Acadia, Hancock reported, with elaboration.

Employees of TruWest Auto also discovered that a 2006 PT Cruiser and a 2018 Chevy Silverado had been damaged, according to the report.

Five sets of keys were also discovered to be missing after an inventory by TruWest employees, Guttridge wrote. The keys were for the following vehicles:

In an interview with a Journal reporter, owner and General Manager Geno Trujillo said the vehicles that have been returned sustained minimal damage, with the exception of one car that seemed to be driven through the locked gate.

“Cortez Police did a great job. They were proactive and communicated well,” Trujillo said. “It’s still under investigation,” he added.

Things were put into perspective for Trujillo and the business.

“It could have been a lot worse,” he said. “We are proactive in protecting our business.”

Trujillo was cautious about sharing additional details, saying it could jeopardize the investigation.