Published January 13, 2015
A husband-and-wife team is accused of robbing a neighbor early Christmas morning while he was away for the holiday.
The heist unraveled when Mesa County deputies responded to a pre-dawn break-in call from a neighbor. When they arrived, a minivan sped away, and inside, deputies found 26-year-old Douglas Scott Collins wearing a ski mask and piling up valuables, including a flat-screen television and some jewelry boxes.
Authorities then followed tire tracks in the snow to Collins' home about a mile away. There deputies found the minivan and arrested his wife, 27-year-old Alexis Collins. Investigators say the wife had already hauled away valuables that belonged to the neighbor, including a sewing machine, a camcorder and a .22-caliber gun.
According to a police report, the hood of the couple's van was warm to the touch when officials arrived, and Alexis Collins was wearing makeup, though she told police she'd been sleeping.
Both were held in the Mesa County Jail facing burglary charges, The Daily Sentinel newspaper reported.
The neighbor was away for the holiday when the break-in occurred, but he was contacted by Mesa County authorities and identified the items as his, the newspaper reported.
The homeowner estimated the value of the items at $4,060.
Douglas Collins was being held on suspicion of first-degree burglary, theft and criminal mischief. Alexis Collins was being held on suspicion of complicity to those offenses.
https://www.foxnews.com/story/husband-wife-team-accused-of-pre-dawn-home-invasion-on-christmas