Photo: Getty Images/Rifle Police Department
Rep. Lauren Boebert said her oldest son "should be held accountable" after he was charged with 22 total crimes this week.
The congresswoman issued a statement to the Denver Post on Wednesday (February 28) after the Rifle Police Department announced his arrest in connection with a string of break-ins and stolen credit cards.
“I love my son Tyler, who has been through some very difficult, public challenges for a young man and the subject of attention that he didn’t ask for,” Lauren Boebert said. “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. I will never give up on him and I will continue to be there for him."
Tyler Boebert, 18, was charged with five felonies, including four counts of criminal possession of ID documents with multiple victims and one count of conspiracy to commit charge, as well as more than 15 misdemeanors for four counts of first-degree criminal trespassing of an automobile with intent to commit a crime, four counts of identity theft, possession with intent to use, two counts for contributing to delinquency of a minor and three petty offenses for theft of less than $300, the Rifle Police Department announced on its Facebook account Tuesday (February 27).
Boebert, who turns 19 in March, was previously given a "careless driving causing bodily injury" ticket after flipping his father's SUV into a creek bed, which resulted in his 19-year-old friend being injured, in 2022. The teenager was ordered to attend an "Alive at 25" driver's awareness program as part of a plea deal, which dropped the case down to a "defective vehicle for headlights" ticket, however, failed to make his scheduled April 2023 court appearance.
A bench warrant was issued for Boebert, who eventually called the court and requested his hearing be moved to a later date, which he would then attend virtually while reportedly sending in his "Alive at 25" completion certificate, Westword.com reported in May 2023.
Last month, Tyler's father, Jayson, was arrested in relation to an incident in which he allegedly shoved his son and dug his thumb into the teen's mouth as if he was "going to pull his tooth out," according to an arrest warrant obtained by the New York Post. Jayson Boebert's arrest came three days after an alleged incident at the former couple's Miner's Claim restaurant in Silt, Colorado, that resulted in him calling police on his ex-wife and claiming "domestic violence."
Rep. Boebert was granted a restraining order against her ex-husband -- which also prohibited him from coming near their three younger children but excluding Tyler because he's an adult -- earlier this month after she claimed Jayson threatened to harm her and himself during a 14-month span. In December, Rep. Boebert announced her decision to drop out of an upcoming race for her current congressional seat representing Colorado's 3rd District in 2024 and will instead run for the more Republican-friendly 4th District.