By Lance Benzel
The Gazette
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — An ex-convict’s ties to the 211 Crew prison gang could explain “all or part” of why he tried to break into the Colorado Springs home of a former prison guard before shooting at a police officer, prosecutors say.
Thomas James Guolee, 34, was ordered to trial on all counts Thursday in the Dec. 30 burglary attempt, which spurred a high-speed chase in Colorado Springs that ended with Guolee being shot in the leg during a face-off with Colorado Springs police.
At the conclusion of his preliminary hearing, lead prosecutor Martha McKinney won a judge’s authorization to take photographs of Guolee’s tattoos, saying the prosecution is looking to support its theory that the defendant’s 211 Crew gang ties supplied “the motive for all or part of what occurred.” Prosecutors will also take biological samples for DNA analysis.
The prosecutor’s comments were the first public indication that authorities suspect that Guolee was acting on orders from the 211 Crew.
The white supremacist gang has been investigated for potential links to the 2013 slaying of Colorado Department of Corrections chief Tom Clements, who authorities say was shot to death on his front porch by paroled 211 Crew member Evan Ebel.
Ebel, who was also linked to the slaying of a Denver-area pizza delivery driver from whom clothing was stolen, later died in a shootout with Texas authorities.
Investigators probing the Clements slaying identified Guolee as a person of interest in the case, saying he communicated with Ebel before the killing, though Guolee wasn’t charged.
Clements’ murder spawned fears of a possible 211 Crew “hit list” of targets outside prison walls. An El Paso County judge, Jonathan Walker, went into hiding in the wake of the killing, The Denver Post reported at the time, citing anonymous sources.
During Thursday’s hearing, prosecutors didn’t broach their theory about what Guolee sought to accomplish.
But in arguing for permission to document his tattoos, McKinney said law enforcement records show he has himself claimed membership in the 211 Crew - which Guolee himself disputed in a 2013 jailhouse interview with the Post. Guolee also denied having anything to do with the Clements slaying.
According to McKinney, the house Guolee sought to burglarize and the stolen car he drove Dec. 30 belonged to current or former prison employees.
During the attempted break-in, which occurred after dark on Sierra Springs Drive on the city’s southeast side, only the man’s wife and young children were home when Guolee tried to use a car jack to gain access to the garage, prosecutors say.
The woman’s 911 call triggered a confrontation in which Guolee fired a single round at a Colorado Springs police officer before beginning an erratic chase.
The pursuit ended when Guolee crashed into a parked car several miles away and took off running. An officer shot him in the leg, telling investigators Guolee was reaching for a revolver near his waist and that he posed a danger to people in the area.
The stolen car Guolee allegedly drove, a 2013 Chevrolet Sonic, was equipped with plates that had in turn been removed from another car, authorities said. Investigators say they tracked them to a similar Chevrolet later found parked outside a Walmart in Fountain.
The car parked at Walmart in turn had two different stolen plates on the front and rear - one from the prison guard’s car and another reported stolen by a Colorado Springs defense attorney while his family vacationed in Mexico.
Guolee faces 19 counts in the burglary and police chase, including attempted murder of a police officer. He is due to return to court June 15, at which time a trial is likely to be scheduled.
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