'1-Man Crime Wave' Found Guilty By JeffCo Jury

GOLDEN, CO – A Jefferson County jury took less than three hours to convict a man held on a $1 million bail for a daylong, drug-fueled one-man crime spree in metro Denver in 2017.

Edward Roy Barron, 32, was found guilty of 18 felony counts on Jan. 12, after a seven-day trial, the JeffCo DA's office said Thursday.

Barron’s crime spree began with an armed carjacking of a red Nissan near the intersection of Kipling Avenue and West Jewell at 5 a.m. on December 19, 2017. the driver told police he begged Barron to just "take him to work" and keep the car. Barron allegedly dropped the car's owner at a gas station, where the owner quickly called 911.

Later that morning, around 9 a.m., Barron allegedly robbed a CVS pharmacy at 9936 W. Bowles Ave. in Littleton, demanding narcotics, prosecutors said. After holding the pharmacist at gunpoint he got away with Dilaudid and Fentanyl.

Around 11 a.m. Barron allegedly robbed the Littleton branch Bank of the West at 8184 S. Kipling Parkway, holding tellers at gunpoint and escaping with $1,800.

He fled in the Nissan to a nearby neighborhood where he abandoned the car.

At 11:30, Barron allegedly broke into a home in the 8000 block of Trinchera Peak. Prosecutors said Barron held the male and female residents at gunpoint, telling them he had to “lay low” for a while, as he was “hiding from police.”

Barron allegedly attempted to steal a car from the residence, but was unsuccessful and left the house on foot. As JeffCo Sheriff's deputies approached him, Barron allegedly began gobbling down the narcotics stolen at the pharmacy, a police report said. He was transported to the hospital because he had ingested the pills. In all of the incidents, no shots were fired by Barron and no one was injured, police said at the time of his arrest.

“This was a complex investigation involving the Lakewood Police, Jefferson County Sheriff, FBI, and the Division of Parks and Wildlife," said JeffCo District Attorney Pete Weir in a statement. "There were four crime scenes, and hundreds of pieces of evidence. It was helpful for the prosecutor to have so many community members taking an active role, calling 911 at various stages of the crime spree, then coming forward to make a statement and testify when needed.”

The jury found Barron guilty of kidnapping; multiple counts of robbery and attempted robbery; burglary, attempted burglary; drug possession; motor vehicle theft and other crimes.

He's scheduled to be sentenced in JeffCo District Court on Feb. 12, 2019.

Related: Crime Wave Suspect IDed After Littleton, Lakewood Spree

Image Edward Barron via JeffCo Sheriff's Dept.

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