PUEBLO, Colo. -- The number of automobile thefts in Pueblo this year has already surpassed the total number of car thefts reported for all of 2015.
The Chieftain reports more than 1,000 auto thefts in the city this year, up from about the 900 counted last year.
Pueblo has seen a steady increase in the number of cars reported stolen in recent years. Last year, the increase in auto thefts from the previous year was more than 200. That followed an increase of more than 100 auto thefts from 2013.
Police Sgt. Eric Gonzalez says the spike in criminal activity can be blamed on repeat offenders who get arrested for stealing cars, bond out of jail and then steal more vehicles.
Gonzales says the police department recovered about 80 percent of stolen vehicles this year.