DENVER – Fort Collins police arrested a man on attempted kidnapping and impersonating a peace officer charges after he allegedly tried to lure two teenage girls into his car last year.

Justin Svetich, 39, faces two counts of second-degree attempted kidnapping and one count of impersonating a peace officer – all three of them felony charges.

According to Fort Collins police, the two girls were walking around a neighborhood on the south side of the city late last year around 2 a.m. when a man pulled up in a vehicle and tried to get the girls to come with him.

According to police, he said he was concerned because of the time of day. But the girls were suspicious and asked to see his badge. He said he didn’t have one, so one of the girls activated an emergency app on her phone and said she was calling police.

The man left the scene in his vehicle, and police could not find him at the time.

But through further investigation, detectives identified Svetich as the suspect and arrested him.

FCPS Assistant Chief Tim Doran said the girls did the right thing in the situation.

“Real police officers will never have an issue with people calling to confirm their identity. I’m grateful for the diligent work that led to the identification and arrest of this suspect,” he said in a statement.

Police are asking anyone with additional information about Svetich and other incidents involving him to call Detective Stuart Music at 970-416-2575 or Larimer County Crime Stoppers at 970-221-6868.

Fort Collins Police Services