Thirty-seven-year-old Thomas Busch has been charged with one count of cruelty to a certified police working dog.
The charge is part of nearly two dozen others, including 10 felony-level charges. Denver police accuse Busch of stealing a Jeep, swapping it for a tow truck, and then swapping that for a water department tractor, before leading police on a long pursuit. Along the way, he also allegedly tried to swap the tractor for a heavy tractor, and a construction truck, according to his list of charges.
Busch's rampage began in Lakewood, west of Denver, where he stole a Jeep, dumped it for a tow truck, collided with a Subaru, entered a southbound highway lane going north, had a head-on collision with another vehicle, escaped on foot, broke into a Denver water facility, stole a tractor with lawn mowing equipment attached, broke into a construction site, attempted to steal a 20-ton front loader, hit another motor vehicle, rammed a gate while entering a golf course under construction, tried to steal a construction truck, and then led police on a long chase through the city. The police ended the pursuit by ramming the stolen tractor, with Busch resisting arrest and biting and choking a K-9 before being taken into custody.
If convicted, Busch could face up to 32 years in jail. His next court appearance is set for Monday.
