One of Colorado’s most wanted sex offenders is found hiding out in Wyoming after two years
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BAGGS, Wyoming — A convicted sex offender who landed on Colorado’s most-wanted list has been captured in a small Wyoming town after authorities spent more than two years looking for him.
Timothy Dan Thurston, ranked No. 21 on the Colorado Bureau of Investigation’s Most Wanted Sex Offenders list, was arrested Oct. 7 in Baggs, Wyoming, according to a news release from the U.S. Marshals Service.
Thurston had been wanted by Colorado authorities since 2024 for failing to appear in court and failing to register as a sex offender. He was previously convicted of sexually assaulting a child, and his criminal history also includes drug offenses, other sexual offenses, probation violations and sex offender registration violations.
In October, the U.S. Marshals Service’s Colorado Violent Offender Fugitive Task Force asked Wyoming investigators for help tracking him down. Investigators developed information indicating Thurston was living in the Baggs area of Carbon County.
Members of the Wyoming Fugitive Task Force, working alongside the Wyoming Highway Patrol and Carbon County Sheriff’s Office, located Thurston and took him into custody without incident.
“Wyoming will not become a safe haven for fugitives seeking to escape accountability in other states,” said Chief Deputy U.S. Marshal Thomas. He added that crossing state lines does not put fugitives beyond the reach of justice.
The Wyoming Fugitive Task Force combines federal, state and local law enforcement resources to locate people wanted for serious crimes, including offenses involving children and sexual offenses.
Authorities encourage anyone with information about wanted fugitives or suspected sex offender registration violations to submit a confidential tip through the U.S. Marshals Service at https://www.usmarshals.gov/tips.