Teens suspected of stealing Windsor Army vet’s gear — on Memorial Day

Memorial Day is typically a tough day for Windsor resident Gary Colburn anyway, as the U.S. Army 1st Cavalry Regiment veteran can’t help but recall buddies lost in war.

Monday started even worse, when his bank sent him an alert regarding suspicious activity on his credit card. Colburn went to his truck and found the lock popped. Someone had stolen his wallet and taken his Iraq survival bag holding military gear and memorabilia.

“I was kind of at a loss for words,” said Colburn, 32. “I realized so many sentimental items had been taken.”

Several of the stolen items were back within a few hours after Windsor police arrested two local teens, 16, and 17.

The teens are suspected of breaking into Colburn’s vehicle during the night and taking the veteran’s belongings as well as brandishing a replica handgun at a Windsor jogger, according to Windsor Police Sgt. Andy Cash.

Windsor police received a 911 call at 8:30 a.m. from a panicked jogger who’d been running on Old Redwood Highway at Starr Road when two males in an SUV drove by and waved a pistol at him, Cash said.

Three officers responded and spotted a matching Honda CRV with two males in the area.

They ordered the driver to pull over, then held the occupants at gunpoint and searched the vehicle.

“We found this very lifelike pistol. It looked like a Colt .45, with stainless steel,” Cash said.

Officers also found an army rucksack distinguished by an Operation Iraqi Freedom patch. Items inside included knives, personal belongings and an old prescription bottle with a name that led Cash to Colburn.

The sergeant found the military veteran at home in Windsor and returned the man’s bag, which had been with Spc. Colburn on two tours in Baghdad.

The teens, students at Windsor Oaks alternative high school, were also suspected of trying to use one of Colburn’s credit cards. They were taken to the county’s Juvenile Hall on felony and misdemeanor charges, Cash said.

The parents of one boy met with Colburn, saying they would look for his belongings. They found items in their son’s bedroom and returned them, Colburn said.

Colburn’s wallet remained missing Monday afternoon, along with his driver’s license, veteran’s disability card, credit card and other identification. Also missing was a knife Colburn had taken with him to Iraq.

It’s rough anytime a wallet gets stolen, but Colburn said the Memorial Day timing was an especially hard blow.

“It makes it a little worse. It’s always a sad weekend for me,” he said. “I’ve lost a lot of buddies.”

You can reach Staff Writer Randi Rossmann at 707-521-5412 or randi.rossmann@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter@rossmannreport.