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Eagle man thwarts theft

Mike Devins, who works for Eagle County Facilities Management, thwarted a theft from a car parked at Eagle Town Park a couple of weeks ago.
Pam Boyd/pboyd@eaglevalleyenterprise.com |

EAGLE — A recent routine connection at Eagle Town Park turned into a failed theft.

Eagle County employee Mike Devins routinely meets up with neighbors at Eagle Town Park to pick up and drop off their children for car pool duties. That’s what he was doing a couple of weeks ago when he noticed a man appeared to be casing his neighbor’s unlocked car. She was watching the children as they raced to the playground and had left her purse unattended.

“We joke about how we don’t have to be vigilant around here,” Devins said.



But he did take note of the man, who appeared out of place in the neighborhood, he said.

‘JUST BE VIGILANT’

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Out of the corner of his eye, Devins saw the man duck between cars and then walk away carrying a ladies handbag.

Devins yelled at the man to stop, and when confronted, the would-be thief said the bag belonged to his sister. Because he had seen the man take it from his neighbor’s car, Devins didn’t buy that story. The man then dropped the bag and ran from the scene. Devins took off after him and his neighbor called the police.

Devins lost sight of the man at about the same time Eagle Police Officer Jay Seckman arrived on the scene. Seckman took over the search and with the help of a passerby, he located the man in the area of the bike path along Oxbow Court. Seckman said the suspect confessed to trying to take the purse from the woman’s car. The officer praised Devins’ quick thinking.

“That was great awareness on his part,” Seckman said.

As for his part, Devins said the experience showed that crime does happen everywhere.

“This guy was just an opportunist trying to take advantage of an unlocked car,” said Devins. “Just be vigilant. Not paranoid in any sense, but vigilant.”


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