Colorado DA warns vehicles used in crimes may be seized: "Expect to see more of this"

Did you know that law enforcement can legally take your property if it was used to commit a crime? It's a process called "civil asset forfeiture."

If you commit a crime in Douglas County, you could face not only jail time, but the loss of your vehicle.

George Brauchler is district attorney for the 23rd Judicial District, encompassing Douglas, Elbert and Lincoln counties. Brauchler has taken a hard line on crime, and now wants to make vehicle seizures routine to make his jurisdiction a safer place.

Dash camera video shows it all. On May 15, 2025, a Douglas County deputy spotted a motorcycle speeding on University Boulevard. When the deputy tried to stop the rider, he sped away. Law enforcement chased him and soon caught up, arresting 41-year-old Brandon Watts.

Brauchler says running from law enforcement puts everyone at risk.

"We're just not going to tolerate it down here. You run from the cops, expect the worst," said George Brauchler, district attorney for the 23rd Judicial District.

Watts served 120 days in jail after pleading guilty to felony eluding and obstructing justice, but law enforcement also took his motorcycle.

"Our goal is to take away the thing that you use to commit the crime, so that we know you're not going to do it again," Brauchler said.
Brauchler says Colorado law allows the seizure of property used in the commission of a crime.

"It is used from time to time. We down here are trying to make it more of an automatic thing," Brauchler said.

Agencies are required to report forfeitures to the state. From January through June of this year, the state says 244 forfeiture cases were reported, about half of those involved federal agencies. That included about 1,600 currency assets and about 1,200 other assets, such as vehicles, valuing a total of more than $204 million.

It's a significantly higher number than any other six-month period listed on the Department of Local Affairs website, which goes back to 2017.

"You should expect to see more of this. We're going to make a big deal of it, because I want the public to know this is a place where you come to enjoy yourself and to feel safe, to start a family, start a business, to be entertained, to shop -- all of those things. But if you think you're coming down here to commit crimes like you would to the north of us, you are making a huge mistake," Brauchler said.

While the law allows agencies to seek forfeiture before a conviction, Brauchler says his office will wait for a conviction and only do so for felony cases. His office works closely with the Douglas County Sheriff's Office, who can also take the lead on forfeitures, according to Brauchler.

"What I'd love to be able to do, and I'm telling you, we're starting to look into this legally, is when you drive drunk more than once. I'd love to be able to take your car because you have now shown that you are a menace to society," Brauchler said.

Watts' motorcycle will soon be auctioned off as per state law, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the Department of Human Services Alcohol and Drug Abuse Division.

"If I had my druthers, I would make a big public display and say, we're going to drive over this bike with a truck, or we would blow it up, or something like that. But the law says you can't do that. Turns out, I have to follow the law. The law says you have to have it auctioned off, and the proceeds are distributed in a very specific way, like DCSO, they don't get to auction it off and keep the money.
We don't get to keep the money. That money gets distributed to a bunch of other social services. There's no profit motive here," Brauchler said.

Brauchler says the forfeiture process is separate from criminal proceedings, and a different civil judge determines whether the bar has been met for that property to be forfeited.