Man accused of damaging High Line Canal Trail with homemade explosives south of Denver; Police seeking suspect
Police have released new photos of a man accused of multiple instances of damaging the High Line Canal Trail south of Denver with homemade explosives.
Most of the alleged incidents happened along the High Line Canal Trail south of Quincy Avenue in Cherry Hills Village from around mid-October through mid-December, according to the Cherry Hills Village Police Department.
Investigators said the damage "appears to be caused by small, crude, homemade explosive devices" and includes at least six instances of damage to trash cans and signposts.
"Anytime you're finding an explosive device, no matter where it is, it's got a potential for harm, and it's definitely something that we take serious," Cherry Hills Village Police Cmdr. Brennan Leininger said. "We don't know exactly what is composed within the devices, but we are working with several partners to try and identify that."
Police originally released two nighttime photos of the suspect on Dec. 19 and then several more on Tuesday.
They describe the suspect as a man with a thin build, approximately 5 feet 10 inches to 6 feet 2 inches, wearing a winter jacket, pants, hiking or high-top shoes, gloves, a beanie, goggles, and a utility belt worn outside his jacket with a tactical pouch attached.
"Based on what we've seen, we believe this individual is going out, placing the devices and activating them and exploding them at that time. We don't find any indication that these devices are being set in place so that they can go off at a later time," Leininger said.
He was also seen riding a "higher wattage" e-bike with a dark frame, wide tires, and handlebar mittens.
The High Line Canal Trail is 71 miles long and goes from East 64th Avenue and North Himalaya Road near Denver International Airport at the northeast end to South Wadsworth Boulevard and West Waterton Road at the southwest in Littleton.
Cherry Hills Village police are asking anyone who recognizes the suspect or has any information or footage of him to contact the Cherry Hills Village Police Department.
"It's a lot more than just vandalized trash cans. You have somebody that is concocting some explosive devices, and yes, right now he's isolating them to putting them in the trash cans," Leininger said. "But you don't know what people's true motives are, and you don't know if something can trigger him to go and do something else."