A 50-year-old man was caught burglarizing a pot dispensary early Saturday morning in Arapahoe County, authorities say.
Robert Cordova of Lakewood was arrested about 2:30 a.m. after barricading himself briefly inside marijuana dispensary Herbal Options in the 3400 block of South Federal Boulevard.
He is being held for investigation of felony burglary of a controlled substance and misdemeanor criminal mischief.
A witness called the Sheriff’s Office after spotting two or more people inside the store about 2:25 a.m., according to Sheriff Grayson Robinson.
Someone had broken into an adjacent vacant office space and punched a hole through the wall to enter the dispensary.
Deputies set up a perimeter around the pot shop and closed off South Federal Boulevard in both directions at West Floyd Avenue and West Hampden Avenue, Robinson said.
Deputies ordered the occupants of the building to surrender, but instead the suspect barricaded the doors and windows, he said.
The suspect then crawled through the opening in the drywall and surrendered to deputies without incident, he said. Deputies searched the store and did not find any other suspects.
Cordova admitted he broke into the building to steal marijuana.
According to Colorado Bureau of Investigation records, he has several burglary and drug-possession convictions dating back to 1982.
Several marijuana businesses in Arapahoe County have been burglarized or robbed in the past eight months as the dispensaries have proliferated, Robinson said. In some cases, thieves have stolen pot in home-invasion robberies, he said.
There have been nine incidents recently, he said. The county passed a moratorium on new dispensaries until June hoping the Colorado legislature will give more guidance on the regulation of the businesses, Robinson said.
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
