Fort Collins police are asking the public to come forward after the arrest of a burglary suspect who may be connected to additional crimes in the area. Authorities arrested 21-year-old initials NW early in the morning on November 18 after responding to a burglary in progress on Shandy Street.

When officers arrived, the suspect had already fled the scene, prompting a search involving Fort Collins police, the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office, a K9 unit, and a drone team. Investigators eventually tracked NW to the Collins Aire Trailer Park, where he attempted to flee on foot and briefly entered another residence before being taken into custody.

NW was booked into the Larimer County Jail and faces several charges, including robbery of a residence, multiple counts of second-degree burglary, theft, possession of methamphetamine, resisting arrest, and obstructing a peace officer.

Police believe the suspect may be linked to additional burglaries in the area and are encouraging anyone who may have been a victim or who has information to contact Fort Collins Police or Larimer County Crime Stoppers.

A review of Larimer County court records shows a pattern that unfolded over several years involving multiple cases, low bond amounts, personal recognizance releases, and repeated failures to appear in court.

Below is a timeline of events based on public court records.

August 2024 – Assault and Disorderly Conduct Case

NW was charged with:

• Third-degree assault
• Disorderly conduct

Bond conditions during the case included personal recognizance release and small cash bonds as low as $75.

September 5, 2024 – Failure to Appear #1

The defendant failed to appear for a scheduled court appearance, resulting in a warrant being issued.

October 24, 2024 – Failure to Appear #2

A second failure to appear occurred later in October, triggering another warrant.

Case Outcome

The case ended with 10 days jail credit for time served.

Total in this case:

• 2 failures to appear

2025

April 2025 – Assault / Obstruction Case

NW was charged with:

• Third-degree assault
• Obstructing telephone service

Bond was set at $125 cash, which was posted.

June 25, 2025 – Failure to Appear #3

The defendant failed to appear for a disposition hearing, resulting in another warrant.

May 2025 – Protection Order Violation Case

NW was charged with violating a protection order.

Bond was set at $2,500 personal recognizance, meaning no money was required to secure release.

June 25, 2025 – Failure to Appear #4

The defendant again failed to appear for a scheduled court hearing, resulting in another warrant being issued.

June 2025 – Obstructing a Peace Officer Case

NW was charged with obstructing a peace officer.

Bond was set at $250 personal recognizance.

September 3, 2025 – Failure to Appear #5

The defendant failed to appear for arraignment, causing another warrant to be issued.

October 2025 – Failure to Comply with Probation

In the assault case, a complaint for revocation of probation was filed and a warrant issued for failure to comply.

Non-Compliance Event #1

November 2025 – Burglary Arrest

NW was arrested in connection with a burglary investigation involving multiple serious charges including:

• Second-degree burglary of a dwelling
• First-degree burglary allegations
• Theft
• Trespassing
• Drug possession
• Stalking

The court set a $50,000 cash bond, later adjusted to $35,000 cash bond due to the seriousness of the charges.

Total Documented Court Compliance Issues

From the cases reviewed:

Failures to Appear (FTA): 5

1. Sept 5, 2024
2. Oct 24, 2024
3. June 25, 2025
4. June 25, 2025 (separate case)
5. Sept 3, 2025

Court Non-Compliance / Violations: 1

1. Oct 17, 2025 – Failure to comply with probation conditions

Total Compliance Problems Identified

• 5 Failures to Appear
• 1 Failure to Comply with court-ordered probation

Total: 6 documented compliance violations across multiple cases.

Conclusion

Looking at the full timeline of cases, a clear pattern emerges. Over the course of roughly a year and a half, the defendant received multiple personal recognizance releases, very low cash bonds, and repeated opportunities to remain out of custody, even after failing to appear in court several times.

Court records show five documented failures to appear and at least one failure to comply with court-ordered conditions across several cases. Despite this pattern of non-compliance, the bonds set in earlier cases were often extremely low, including amounts as small as $75, $125, and $250, or release on personal recognizance, which requires no money to be posted.

For many critics of current bail practices, situations like this raise an important concern: when individuals repeatedly fail to appear in court and still receive low bonds or PR releases, it can create the perception that the system carries little immediate consequence.

By the time the burglary case occurred in November 2025, the charges had escalated significantly to include felony burglary, stalking, and drug possession, and the court set a much higher bond of $50,000 cash, later reduced to $35,000 cash.

Cases like this often become part of the larger debate surrounding bail policies in Colorado. Supporters of bail reform argue that pretrial detention should not depend on a person's ability to pay. Critics argue that when individuals repeatedly fail to appear in court or violate court orders, the system should respond more quickly to prevent escalation into more serious crimes.

Ultimately, this timeline illustrates the difficult balance courts face between protecting public safety, ensuring court compliance, and preserving the presumption of innocence before trial