Around 6:00 A.M this morning, the El Paso County Sheriff's Office Regional Communications Center received a 9-1-1 call from a convenience store in the 1500 block of Meadowbrook Parkway, located in unincorporated El Paso County. The caller reported an adult male outside the store acting erratically while in possession of a rifle.

As deputies approached, the suspect was standing next to a vehicle, upon seeing deputies he fled on foot.

A perimeter was established, and deputies began searching the surrounding area. During the search, the suspect attempted to steal another vehicle on Woolsey Heights. As deputies closed in, he fled through a creek bed toward the Claremont Ranch neighborhood.

Deputies apprehended the suspect on Dewhirst Drive and took him into custody without further incident. 

Deputies discovered the male had been in possession of realistic-looking replicas of a rifle and a handgun.  The vehicle was determined to be a stolen vehicle from Lincoln County.

Through ongoing investigation, the suspect, identified as 32-year-old Nathaniel Strawder, was found to be connected to multiple vehicle break-ins and burglaries which occurred overnight in Lincoln County and eastern El Paso County.

Strawder was charged with Motor Vehicle Theft, 2nd Degree Burglary, 3 counts of Criminal Trespass Auto, Theft, Criminal Mischief, and Possession of a Controlled Substance.  He is currently being held in the El Paso County Jail on a $10,000 bond.

Additional charges are anticipated as the investigation continues.

This remains an active investigation. Detectives with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office are working to identify the rightful owners of the recovered stolen property.

Anyone with information related to this case or who believes they may have been a victim in El Paso County is asked to contact the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office at (719) 390-5555. If you reside in Lincoln County, please contact the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office at (719) 743-2846.

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