A Fort Collins career criminal will serve a lengthy prison sentence following a vehicle theft in May that lead to a foot chase. The man, charged as a habitual criminal, has 35 previous arrests in the state.

A Douglas County judge sentenced 32-year-old Grey Gosselin to 36 years in prison for motor vehicle theft as a habitual offender on Monday for an incident that occurred on May 28, according to a news release by the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office. The office described the incident as a “dangerous crime spree” that lead to a pursuit and the attempted tossing of a handgun. 

Deputies spotted a stolen license plate on a KIA Sportage in the area of South University Boulevard and Highlands Ranch Parkway around 6:30 p.m. that day The Missouri plate — which was registered to a 2018 Subaru — had been reported stolen to the Denver Police Department. The vehicle had been reported stolen to the Broomfield Police Department, according to arrest records.

Officers followed the car to the TJ Maxx at 9579 S. University Boulevard and noticed “several individuals” in the vehicle. The driver was later identified as Gosselin. 

When the deputy attempted to contact the vehicle, Gosselin allegedly took off from the driver’s seat, running behind the business. While the deputy chased, he noticed Gosselin “reaching in his front right pocket waistband area several times,” court records show.

Gosselin eventually slipped and fell, leading to his arrest. A Glock 43 9 mm semi-automatic was found on him with the serial number removed. The deputy also found a small amount of methamphetamine on his leg. 

The suspect had been on parole for a robbery conviction in Jefferson County in 2021. He has 35 arrests in Colorado since 2009, including impersonating a police officer, aggravated vehicle theft, assault on a peace officer and felony menacing with a weapon, among others. He had been jailed in the Douglas County Jail six times since 2010.

He was also arrested in Washington in 2010 and South Dakota in 2021, according to arrest records. His Colorado driver’s license is revoked.

Deputies arrested the man on charges of aggravated vehicle theft, possession of a weapon by a previous offender and resisting arrest, among others. 

Contraband incident

Gosselin’s run-ins with the law didn’t stop at his arrest. 

Deputies were assigned to complete a full-body scan of Gosselin while he was in the Douglas County Jail on Aug. 25 due to a report of possible contraband in the housing cell.

Gosselin was scanned by a pre-book scanner machine, according to records. The scanner picked up a shape on his lower abdomen that looked like the razor blade from the inmate-issued razors. It also showed black in his mouth, alluding to metal. 

The man eventually pulled the razor blade from his mouth and noted to the deputy that he was “not going to mess around anymore,” according to records.

The man was charged with possession of contraband, leading to a 15-month extended sentence. 

“The commitment and dedication displayed by our detectives and the District Attorney’s office throughout the investigation and legal proceedings were truly commendable,” Douglas County Sheriff Darren Weekly said in the release. “Together, we have sent a strong message that criminal activities will not be tolerated and that our team is relentless in its pursuit of justice.”