Rep. Lauren Boebert’s (R-Colo.) oldest son was released after his arrest for allegedly being part of a group that used credit cards stolen from cars to make purchases at gas stations and McDonald’s.
According to the arrest affidavit, the 18-year-old Tyler Boebert was identified from a surveillance video at a gas station store, wearing a hoody from Shooter’s Grill, a restaurant his mother used to own.
The court document said he was also recognized by police from previous encounters.
Inside the store, one of the alleged thieves used one of the stolen credit cards for a purchase. The name of the person who used the stolen credit card was redacted.
A news release from police in the small western Colorado city of Rifle said on Tuesday that Mr. Boebert had been arrested in connection with a recent string of vehicle break-ins and property thefts and that the young man was facing several felony charges and charges for 15 additional misdemeanor and petty offenses.
On Wednesday, Mr. Boebert briefly appeared in court by video call from jail, wearing a black-and-white striped uniform.
Defense attorney Peyton Miller told the judge that prosecutors had agreed to his release without bail.
Mr. Boebert was released without bail, and no charges were filed against him.
A prosecutor clarified that those suspected of being involved in the theft and use of credit cards were juveniles, and the judge ordered that the names of any of them be redacted from the affidavit.
On Thursday, the Rifle Police Department announced in an update that three juveniles had been arrested in connection to the string of trespasses and property thefts: two 16-year-olds—a boy and a girl—and one 17-year-old girl.
The three are facing four felony counts for stealing ID documents and one felony count of conspiracy to commit a felony—and charges regarding the “15 additional misdemeanor and petty offenses.”
In a statement, Rep. Boebert said she loves her son, and he “has been through some very difficult, public challenges for a young man and the subject of attention that he didn’t ask for” but should also be held accountable like anyone else.
“It breaks my heart to see my child struggling and in this situation, especially when he has been provided multiple opportunities to get his life on track,” she said. “I will never give up on him, and I will continue to be there for him.”
Rep. Boebert, a gun rights activist and a staunch ally of former President Donald Trump, used to live in Rifle, a city of about 10,000 but switched to run in a more solidly Republican district in December after a narrow 2022 reelection.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
