Many of the recent cases of shattered windows on moving vehicles from Broomfield to the Wyoming border can be traced to road debris — and not someone trying to do harm, authorities said Monday.
While authorities stop short of ruling out any connection among the incidents, they say without witness reports or physical evidence, nothing criminal ties the broken glass together.
The reports began pouring in after a 20-year-old Milliken woman was Larimer County late last month. Since then, worried motorists have been calling 911 to report that their windows, too, have been blown out mid-trip.
One theory among officials is that after the shooting, more people became worried they were also victims and began calling law enforcement.
“We know we have the one confirmed shooting,” said David Moore, spokesman for the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, whose agency is investigating the shooting. “The other ones, as we’ve said multiple times, there is no evidence to show the windows are being shattered by bullets.”
Moore said crime analysis is being completed on the cases to determine if there are any patterns. To date, however, he said there has been no connection.
The Larimer County Sheriff’s Office has directed its patrol division to spend more time on the interstate when available as part of their investigation.
“Any time a window is shattered out, our guys respond to it,” said Cpl. Sean Standridge, spokesman for the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. “They process the vehicle as a crime scene to look for anything inside.”
“To date, we haven’t found a projectile inside any of the vehicles,” Standridge said.
Trooper Nate Reid of the Colorado State Patrol said the agency is monitoring the issue as well.
Monday morning, two northbound lanes of I-25 were closed for about an hour while police investigated after the driver’s side window of a moving semi-trailer shattered. Police determined the window was broken by road debris.
“We have been asked whether we have changed anything from a materials area from the roadways,” said Amy Ford, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Department of Transportation. “We have not.”
Ford said there have been some tar sealant problems on I-25 just north of Denver, but that overall the highways are the same.
“I don’t think it’s in any way connected to the road conditions,” she said. “Nothing has changed for us.”
