Paintball vandals in Aurora return to scene of the crime, are promptly busted

Not a paintball vandal.

But after a multiple-night shooting spree by four teens to settle a "beef," maybe it's time to build another.

Just before 10 p.m. Tuesday night, Arapahoe County sheriff's deputies were fielding several calls from residents around the 3800 block of South Himalaya Way in Aurora, regarding a car full of paintball vandals plunking their way to glory by tagging houses and cars. The same thing had happened the night before.

And in a moment of sheer idiocy, the teens returned to the scene of the crime, just as a deputy was taking a report from resident.

"[The resident] heard the car coming," says Chief Bruce Williamson, noting the Civic's after-market exhaust system was very loud. "The car drove right by the house, the deputy stepped in front of it and told them to pull over."

Inside, the deputy found four teenagers, two paintball guns, one air tank and a bag of paintballs matching the color of ones shot earlier that night.

Dumb criminals make for easy police work.

The driver was Joseph Rudd, 18. Michael Shae, also 18, was in the passenger seat. Two other juveniles were also in the car. Rudd told the deputy he had done nothing wrong and that he was just driving the other three around, Williamson says. It turns out Shae and one of the juveniles in the car "had a beef with a resident on the street."

Verbatim from a police statement:

Rudd and Shae were each issued a summons for 2nd degree Criminal Tampering, C.R.S. 18-4-506. Michael Shae, was taken into custody on outstanding warrants for both Arapahoe County and Lakewood. The two juvenile subjects were released to their parents pending charges for Criminal Tampering.

The investigation is ongoing at this time. If anyone believes that they have also been a victim of this series of paintball vandalism or has any information about these incidents, please call the Arapahoe County Sheriff's Office at 303-795-4711.

Here's the full release from the Sheriff's office:
MRPaintBallVandals

More teenage crime in our Colorado Crimes archive: "Zachary Kocman, Joseph Murphy: Bias-motivated charges for yelling gay slur, assault."