DU Break-ins Continue -- Cops Stay Mum and Residents Stay Worried

So, although Denver Police keep apprehending alleged burglars, the University of Denver neighborhood is still dealing with numerous break-ins.

What is going on? Several weeks ago cops nabbed a couple of suspects after cordoning off the neighborhood for several hours. Two others escaped. We never heard another word about it.

Now, Denver police arrested another guy, but (shock) are not releasing much info. They are calling him a "person of interest." Tarius Laquan Simes, 33, of Aurora was arrested early Saturday after a foot chase and manhunt near DU. He faces charges of aggravated robbery and first-degree burglary, according to a statement from police Monday. He remained in the Denver County Jail Monday on $500,000 bail.
 
According to the most recent Denver Post story,  Simes has been arrested several times on similar charges in Arapahoe County. His criminal record includes charges of theft, receiving stolen property, trespassing and identity theft. He is awaiting trial in Denver County on criminal conspiracy charges from an arrest this year, according to the story, by Post reporter Joey Bunch.

Last week another University of Denver student awoke to find a man in her bedroom Thursday morning, the third burglary of women's residences near the campus in as many weeks.The victim, who did not want her name used, said the man told her to put her head under a pillow. He had a gun, he said, and he'd shoot her if she moved. Nice.

Victims in the above case, and a previous break in at a local sorority, describe the suspect as a black man, about 5 feet 11 inches tall, wearing a hooded sweatshirt that concealed his face.

Dozens of homes have been burglarized in the DU area during the past three years, including about a dozen this year, but it's possible not all the cases are related, police have said. Local residents are increasingly edgy over the burglaries and subsequent lack of information. Worried locals are acquiring dogs and guns and are hoping for more information. 

Above is a composite sketch released by police earlier this year. Is this the guy they caught last week? Is the composite still valid? Who knows? Certainly not the people who live in the neighborhood, that's for sure.