This is 3 pages so far but I’m still working on it. We have the events, evidence and comparing statements from Eric and about Eric related to the event.
On January 30th, 1998 Eric and Dylan broke into a white van and stole some electronics. This entry will be focusing on Eric separately from Dylan whom I will touch on another time.
The events
On January 30th Eric, Dylan, and Zack were all hanging out in the church’s parking lot, listening to music. Zack had a fight with Devon and left the event with her.
Afterwards Dylan left the church with Eric.
Once they had left, they drove to the intersection of Wadsworth Blvd and Deer Creek Canyon Road to park their car.
They then spent 15 minutes setting off fireworks and smashing bottles before they actually noticed the white van parked near them.
According to Eric:
Dylan looked inside the white van and said, “Should we break into it and steal it? It would be nice to steal some stuff in there. Should we do it?”
Eric had immediately responded, “Hell no!”
They discussed it but went back inside when they saw oncoming car. Inside they continued their discussion.
Eric agreed to try it and then he went out into the street to look out for cars as Dylan put on a snow glove and attempted to break the van’s window with his left fist.
He tried for roughly four times but failed.
Eric came over and attempted the same to no avail.
“We then decided to find a rock to use. We went north about twenty feet and Dylan found a rock big enough to have to hold in two hands. I went back to look for cars as Dylan broke the window on his sixth try.”
Eric returned, cleaned up some glass before returning to his own car as a getaway while Dylan retrieved the stolen goods and placed them in the back seat.
They then drove to a parking lot in Deer Creek Canyon Park to check out what they had stolen, after moving it to the trunk. They were both excited.
Here a police officer arrested them.
Eric wrote:
“We were sure we had gotten away with it all, so we started reviewing what we had stolen. I got out of my car to put something in my trunk when a Jefferson County Sheriff shined his rather bright flashlight into my eyes from the other side of my car. Right then, I realized what a damn fool I was for what I did. He had been watching us for about 5 minutes apparently he had seen us far away, parked his car down the road, and walked up behind my car without us noticing him.”
He also later wrote:
“After a very unique experience in a real live police station being a real live criminal, I had lots of time to think about what I did. Remorse put it lightly. I spent about four hours there, only about fifteen minutes of that was I actually doing something, like giving them any and every imaginable way of taking my fingerprints, or taking my picture. Actually, mug shot would be a more appropriate word. I waited for the rest of the time. Their computer chose that moment to break down, so they put me into prison-type bathroom to wait. As I waited, I cried, I hurt, and I felt like hell.”
They were then released into the custody of their parents.
March 25, 1998 at 08:15 am
they were summoned to court and signed their juvenile diversion papers.
February 1999
They were both released from the programs.
Echoes in the Columbine Archive 
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