Third man pleads guilty to Steamboat burglary, Grand County high-speed chase

Kyle Hallaran, 29, of Johnstown, and Justin James Davis, 28, of Loveland, have been sentenced to eight years in prison in connection to a burglary at a business in Steamboat Springs.

STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — The third and final man involved in a Steamboat Springs burglary in November 2018 has been sentenced to prison.

Kyle Hallaran, a 29-year-old man from Johnstown, pleaded guilty in Routt County to the theft of more than $30,000 from Alpine Lumber as well as a charge of vehicular eluding, relating to a high-speed chase with law enforcement that required a drone to find him.

He now faces eight years in prison at the Colorado Department of Corrections. 

Two other men involved in the burglary, 29-year-old Justin Davis and 33-year-old Matthew Woldorf, both from Loveland, were sentenced in May. Davis, who joined Hallaran in stealing from the lumber company, also received an eight-year prison sentence. 

Woldorf, whom officials found to be an accomplice in the crime, received a lesser sentence of 42 months in the Department of Corrections.

The charges date back to the early morning of Nov. 29, 2018, when Hallaran and Davis broke into Alpine Lumber and stole hundreds of items, including high-end power tools and equipment, according to an arrest affidavit obtained from the Routt County Justice Center. They then stole a box truck from the business and fled with the items. 

A search ensued for the two men, involving law enforcement officials from multiple agencies and counties. Soon after the burglary, they received reports that the men ditched the stolen truck along Colorado Highway 14 between Muddy Pass and Walden and moved the stolen goods to a Subaru. 

Authorities later determined that Woldorf owned the Subaru and lent it to Davis for the burglary. Police obtained messages between the two men in which they appear to devise a plan for the crime, according to the arrest affidavit. The two also make several references to exchanging controlled substances, like methamphetamine and opioids. 

According to the affidavit, authorities pursued Hallaran and Davis for more than 25 miles, despite flattening some of the vehicle’s tires with stop sticks. 

Hallaran, who had been driving, stopped the Subaru in Grand County between Kremmling and Hot Sulphur Springs and fled on foot. Davis tried to flee in the car but was apprehended a short time later.

Multiple officers, a police dog and a drone pursued Hallaran. The drone, owned by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office and equipped with a thermal camera, found the thief hiding under a bridge near the Colorado River, according to deputies. 

In their report of the incident, law enforcement officials suspect the two men of being under the influence of methamphetamine during the chase.

Routt County Assistant District Attorney Matt Karzen was not sure why the suspects targeted a business in Steamboat Springs.  

To reach Derek Maiolo, call 970-871-4247, email dmaiolo@SteamboatPilot.com or follow him on Twitter @derek_maiolo

via:: Sky-Hi News