A pair of teenage Colorado carjackers led police on a high-speed chase that ended in a ball of fire — and a pair of mugshots that also went down in flames.
Police arrested 19-year-olds Michael Howell-McGlynn and Kristine Elisabeth Romero Thursday after pulling them from the burning wreck of a 2015 Subaru Forrester — which was previously reported stolen in an armed carjacking.
Officers with the Larimer County Sheriff’s Office spotted the SUV idling in a parking lot in Berthoud just after 4 a.m. that morning, but when they attempted to stop it at an intersection the teens sped off.
The dynamic duo quickly accelerated speeds in excess of 100 mph, and the police followed in hot pursuit, per a statement from sheriff’s office.
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When the suspects slowed down at the approach of another intersection, officers rammed their car in an attempt to stop them.The Subaru hit a curb, then landed on a nearby tree and burst into flames.
Michael Howell-McGlynn and Kristine Elisabeth Romero, both 19, were charged in the fiery car chase Thursday. Larimer County Sheriff’s Office
Officers rushed to pull Howell-McGlynn and Romero from the car, also recovering a rifle from the burning wreck.
They were taken to the hospital and treated for injuries, and after being released a short time later were booked at the Larimer County Jail.
Both suspects appeared wholly defeated and down on their luck in their mug shots, with the tattooed and mustachioed Howell-McGlynn looking drearily into the camera with his head wrapped forehead-to-chin in bandages, and a thick drop of blood fresh on his chest.
But Romero stole the show, modeling a mop of two-toned, frizzed-out hair with bangs coming down past her eyes, metallic silver eye shadow, and a busted fat-lip with a bloodied chin while she glared up at the ceiling.
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Commenters on Larimer County’s Facebook page panned the teens for their unruly appearances.
“Did y’all also find 101 Dalmatians in the trunk?!” wrote one.
“Halloween was over two weeks ago,” said another.
Cops charged Howell-McGlynn, the driver of the stolen car, with reckless driving, obstructing a peace officer, and vehicular eluding resulting in bodily injury to another.
His pal Romero was booked for conspiracy to commit a class 4 felony — reserved for crimes of violence or extraordinary risk of harm — and for an outstanding warrant for assault on a peace officer.
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“This driver’s reckless behavior shows a disturbing disregard for the safety of others,” Larimer County Sheriff John Feyen said.
“Our deputies will continue to protect this community and apprehend dangerous criminals who threaten lives and property in Northern Colorado.”
Colorado’s best ski deal? Maybe one that costs nothing at all. At Steamboat Springs’ Howelsen Hill, “Sunday Funday is taken to an entirely new level,” reads the city webpage for Ski Free Sundays. Yes, on Sundays throughout the season, visitors need only to walk into the ticket office to grab a pass at no charge. […]
While Colorado ranks near the middle of U.S. states for carbon emissions per capita, it still produces enough CO2 per person to rival countries on the World Bank’s list of top emitters internationally.
In 2023, Colorado produced 13.9 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions per capita. If it had been ranked by the World Bank during the same year, Colorado would have placed 14th among the more than 200 countries on the list, just behind Canada, at 14.1, and just ahead of the U.S. as a whole, at 13.7.
Among U.S. states, Colorado ranked 26th in carbon emissions per capita. Wyoming had the highest per capita emissions in the country, at 92.9 metric tons, while Maryland had the lowest, at 7.8.
Most of Colorado’s emissions come from energy production and consumption, primarily natural gas and oil production and electric power production and consumption.
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The Colorado Sun partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Sources
References:
Colorado State Energy Profile, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed in December 2025. Source link
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2023 Colorado Statewide Inventory of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sinks, pg. 128, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, November 2024. Source link
Senate Bill 24-230 Oil and Gas Production Fees, Colorado General Assembly, accessed in December, 2025. Source link
Senate Bill 23-016 Greenhouse Gas Reduction Measures, Colorado General Assembly, accessed in December 2025. Source link
Carbon dioxide emissions, World Bank Group, 2024, accessed in December 2025. Source link
Energy-related CO2 emission data tables, U.S. Energy Information Administration, accessed in December 2025. Source link
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Type of Story: Fact-Check
Checks a specific statement or set of statements asserted as fact.
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Cassis Tingley is a Denver-based freelance journalist. She’s spent the last three years covering topics ranging from political organizing and death doulas in the Denver community to academic freedom and administrative accountability at the…
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Just a few short days after landing tight end Houston Thomas from the NCAA transfer portal, Mike Elko and the Texas A&M Aggies have now added reinforcements on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage.
Former Colorado Buffaloes safety Tawfiq Byard has officially announced his move from the Big 12 to the SEC, just a handful of days after entering the portal himself.
After A&M safety Bryce Anderson’s recent announcement of his own portal entry, Byard could be just the replacement that Elko and new defensive coordinator Lyle Hemphill need in the “Wrecking Crew’s” defensive backfield.
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A&M Lands Safety Tawfiq Byard From Colorado
Byard will now play football for his third school in his college career, having also spent some of his playing days with the South Florida Bulls before making the move to Boulder to play for NFL Hall of Famer Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.
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Colorado Buffaloes defensive back Tawfiq Byard (7) reacts in the first quarter against the Arizona State Sun Devils at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images | Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images
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Byard’s sophomore campaign in 2025 was much more telling than that of his previous efforts with the Bulls, appearing in all 12 games for the Buffs while starting in eight of those games.
The defensive back would lead the Colorado defense with 85 tackles and was tied for 26th in the nation in the solo tackles category, with 57, and his eight tackles for loss were the third-most by a safety in the history of the program.
His performance, which also included two forced fumbles, an interception, and 0.5 sacks, earned him an honorable mention on the All-Big 12 team.
For a Texas A&M team that has struggled with injuries in recent years, including one to Anderson, a head injury during the win over Notre Dame, Byard’s durability is exactly what Texas A&M needs on defense, and his efficiency will help tie together what should be a younger A&M secondary in the 2026 season.
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During his pair of years in South Florida, Byard appeared in 16 games while starting 10, all of which came in his redshirted freshman season, where he finished with 54 tackles (34 solo), eight tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, and a fumble recovery before transferring to Colorado.
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The Buffaloes had a rough ride of a season in their first without quarterback Shedeur Sanders and former Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, with only a 3-9 record (1-8 conference) to show for in 2025, their lone conference win coming against a ranked Iowa State Cyclones team.
With the defensive backfield back in decent order, the Aggies now look ahead to a grinding offseason before starting their third season under head coach Mike Elko with a hosting of the Missouri State Bears at Kyle Field on September 5.
