A Colorado man is accused of threatening two people before a vehicle went up in flames outside their home hours later. The El Paso County Sheriff’s Office website says security footage helped identify 32-year-old Alex Luevano as the suspect, but finding him in person took deputies a little longer.
Deputies were called to the 8100 block of Piute Road in the Cheyenne Mountain Estates area at approximately 4:22 a.m. on August 26. Members of the Southwest Highway 115 Fire Protection District also responded after authorities received a report of a vehicle on fire in front of a residence.
Two adults at the property told deputies that vehicles belonging to both of them had sustained damage. More importantly for the investigation, the victims said they had received threats earlier that evening from someone they knew, whom they identified as Luevano.
Neighbors then provided investigators with security camera footage that the sheriff’s office says positively identified Luevano as the suspect. Deputies tried to locate him but were unsuccessful, eventually obtaining an arrest warrant and handing the search over to the department’s Fugitive Impact Team.
Deputies Say Luevano Tried Running When They Found Him
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The Fugitive Impact Team finally located Luevano on September 3 at a residence in the 1000 block of Rice Drive in the Stratton Meadows area of Colorado Springs. According to the sheriff’s office, Luevano fled on foot when deputies found him but was apprehended following a brief pursuit.
Sheriff Joseph Roybal praised the Fugitive Impact Team for continuing to pursue Luevano after deputies were initially unable to find him. Roybal said the team follows leads and tracks down wanted suspects to ensure they eventually “answer for their actions.”
Luevano was booked into the El Paso County Jail on charges of criminal mischief, first-degree criminal trespass, harassment, second-degree arson, and second-degree criminal tampering. The charges remain accusations, and Luevano is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Luevano Was Released on a PR Bond
Despite deputies having to track Luevano down and the sheriff’s office saying he initially ran when they found him, he did not remain in the county jail. According to the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office, a court released Luevano on a personal recognizance bond following his advisement hearing.
A PR bond generally allows a defendant to leave custody without paying a traditional cash bond, subject to whatever conditions the court imposes. The sheriff’s office did not provide additional details in its release about the conditions attached to Luevano’s release.
We also checked Luevano’s information against the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office’s currently available inmate records but were unable to find a matching inmate. That is consistent with the sheriff’s office’s statement that he was released following his hearing, although the absence of a current inmate record by itself would not establish someone’s custody status.