An Aspen man who’s twice been sanctioned by the state for falsely representing himself as an architect was arrested last week after he was found squatting in two Aspen homes, according to court documents.<\/p>\n
Jeffrey Halferty, 49, now faces charges of felony second-degree burglary and felony motor vehicle theft after he was arrested in downtown Aspen with the key to a vehicle he allegedly stole in his pocket, according to an arrest warrant affidavit filed in Pitkin County District Court.<\/p>\n
Halferty was first reported to Aspen police Dec. 17, when the owner of a home in the 100 block of East Cooper Avenue asked officers to remove him from the property, the affidavit states. Though Halferty was allegedly illegally staying at the residence and not allowed back, he was not charged in connection with that incident, according to the document.<\/p>\n
Five days later, however, the owner of another property in the 700 block of West Smuggler Street reported that Halferty was staying at her home and using her car without permission. The woman said she’d hired Halferty to renovate the home, but he hadn’t completed the work and was fired Dec. 20, according to the affidavit.<\/p>\n
The owner said a real estate broker in town she knows heard about the Dec. 17 incident, knew about Halferty being hired to renovate the Smuggler home and went to see if he was squatting there, the affidavit states. She reported seeing evidence that someone was living there.<\/p>\n
An Aspen police officer observed dirty dishes, clothing and pictures of Halferty inside the home.<\/p>\n
Officers saw Halferty downtown in Aspen on Dec. 22, when he denied stealing the woman’s car, according to the affidavit. The key to the woman’s vehicle was in his pocket and he told them where it was parked after he was arrested.<\/p>\n
The Colorado Attorney General’s Office sanctioned Halferty in September 2017 for representing himself as an architect without a license. It was the second time since 1998 the state has had to take such action.<\/p>\n