Suspect arrested, charged with felonies in theft of $49,000 in comics from Mile High Comics

He left a trail of blood, which he tried to clean up, in the shop.

Mile High Comics, America's largest comics dealer. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Esteban L. Hernandez

Jun. 19, 2019, 1:44 p.m.

A 39-year-old man is facing felony burglary charges after authorities said he stole 15 comic books worth $49,000 from Mile High Comics last month.

Francisco Ysidro Ruiz was charged on Tuesday with one count of second-degree burglary and one count of theft, according to a release from the Denver District Attorney’s Office on Wednesday. Both counts are felony charges.

According to the arrest affidavit, Ruiz allegedly entered Mile High Comics on Jason Street by force on May 26 and broke the glass display case, cutting himself in the process and leaving a trail of blood he tried to clean up.

Police initially investigated 14 missing comic books valued at $42,000, before learning in June that a 15th comic book valued at $7,000 was also missing.

Several tips generated by a Denver Police Crime Stoppers bulletin helped lead investigators to Ruiz, including from people who said they used to to do business with Ruiz involving comic books.

Ruiz is scheduled to appear in court on June 28.

Downtown Denver, Jan. 30, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Colorado’s confusing pay disclosure law is leaving remote workers out of a job

Employers aren't reading the fine print and excluding Coloradans.

A Denver Sheriff's Department prisoner transport bus. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Denver sheriffs union sounds alarm on low staffing levels

The union says staffing has fallen under 65 percent, though the department says that figure is higher.

Ben Roy talks junk about 2020 during the first-ever monthly comedy night at Number Thirty Eight in Five Points. Nov. 19, 2020.

Entertainment industry jobs in Denver are back to pre-pandemic levels

Restaurant jobs are still behind, according to the latest numbers.

Prumrose the Fairy blows bubbles and the minds of guests walking into the Colorado Renaissance Festival in Larkspur. July 4, 2021.

Things to do in Denver this weekend, July 23-25

Circus, live music, a county fair and more!

The sign welcoming you to the Grand County town of Kremmling.

Denver DA’s husband pleads guilty to attempted arson after starting fires near the East Troublesome blaze

It wasn't the first time Christopher Linsmayer was charged for setting fires on his property.

Lakeside Amusement Park's vintage parking sign, March 11, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

lakeside amusement park; denver; colorado; kevinjbeaty; denverite;

Lakeside Amusement Park is open again

Can you smell the funnel cake?

Jacqueline Lawrence pulls the stop cords as RTD's number 15 bus heads east. June 16, 2021.

City says Colfax’s rapid bus line is on schedule for “later in the 2020s”

The project is in a preliminary design phase, and the city is looking for your input.

Birds flutter over Sloan's Lake on a dreary day in Denver. May 11, 2021.

Sloan’s Lake temporarily closes due to blue-green algae bloom

The bloom is toxic and potentially dangerous to humans and pets.

Marijuana at a Denver grow facility. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

And just like that, Denver has marijuana delivery — at the only dispensary to have applied

The first business to work with delivery partners was approved Tuesday.

Crowds pour into Coors Field before the MLB All-Star Game. July 13, 2021.

Did the All-Star Game give downtown Denver businesses a boost? Well, sort of.

Restaurants and bars around Coors Field had a good weekend, but the promised crowd fell short of great expectations.

An apartment building in the Golden Triangle area, Nov. 13, 2018. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

The Golden Triangle blocks south of Civic Center Park are looking to get a lot taller

The idea is to make it a dense, walkable district, but at least one Denver developer thinks the city is making a huge mistake.

Sunset over the city. Dec. 12, 2019. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

Denver wants to hire a top designer to focus on the city’s urban design and architecture

The city wants to hire a City Urban Designer to make sure the city stays pretty.

Workers at the Wellington Webb Municipal Building. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

City auditor says Denver did a “good job” of managing $127 million in federal COVID relief

The city got about $127 million from the federal government last spring.

Major General Maurice Rose, Commanding General of the 3rd Armored Division, radios from his jeep in Cologne, Germany, March 6, 1945.

A World War II general will be the subject of a new statue near the Capitol

Major General Maurice Rose was described as the highest ranked Jewish soldier in U.S. history.

A news conference announcing that SkyHouse Denver workers reached a settlement about wage law violations., Dec. 20, 2017. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

If your employer owes you up to $2k, this Denver wage theft law could help you get paid

The new law would apply for cases involving claims of less than $2,000. Employers found in violation of the law could face a fine of up to $999 or 300 days in jail or both.

Belle Ruocco (left) and Magdalena Franchois survey an encampment at Lincoln Park, at Lincoln Street and Colfax Avenue, as part of Denver Homeless Out Loud's count of unhoused residents in the city. July 17, 2020.

Survey: People experiencing homelessness in Denver were shuffled from block to block during pandemic sweeps

Advocacy group Denver Homeless Out Loud says most people didn't see notices of a sweep and had their property taken away

Gita Cornell and Ryan Phillips marvel at a glowing room in Novo Ita, the new immersive show at Spectra Art Space. June 30, 2021.

Immersive van Gogh not for you? Here are some alternative Denver arts experiences

From Shiki Dreams to Museum for Black Girls!

Children’s Librarian Amy Seto Forrester stocks some of the stacks that will be available on main floor of the Denver Public Library’s Central Library on Friday, July 17, 2021. The facility will reopen with limited access to the first floor, computer rooms, and social service facilities to the public on Sunday, July 16 after being closed first by the COVID-19 pandemic, and then owing to extensive renovations.

Last March, Denver’s Central Library closed because of the pandemic. 15 months later, it’s finally back open

At first, access will be limited to parts of the first floor and a few other spaces as a major renovation continues through 2022.

A bald eagle flies over the Denver Museum of Nature and Science in City Park. (Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite)

We have more bald eagles than ever. A new study wants to find out why.

They're flocking to the Front Range. Scientists hope their success will pave the way for others.

Michelle Tijerina is the Voz y Corazón Program coordinator. Photographed in the art room at the Denver Broncos Boys & Girls Club in Montbello on Monday, June 28, 2021.

Voz y Corazón, a Mental Health Center of Denver mentorship program, aims to combat youth suicide through art and community

"They created something that is just theirs. Nobody else created this. And maybe it didn’t even come out how they wanted it. That’s part of life, too, where you put in all your efforts, and it wasn’t quite what you wanted, or you messed up somewhere along the way. But at the end, you still had something that you were proud of.”

More Denverite