DE BEQUE, COLO. - On March 9, 2026, deputies learned of a possible wanted man and an endangered abducted juvenile female traveling through Mesa County together. The vehicle associated with these two people was a 2007 Black GMC Yukon with a Texas license plate.

Just before 11 p.m., deputies with the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office located the Yukon at a gas station in De Beque. Simultaneously, Garfield County law enforcement was made aware the vehicle was possibly headed into their jurisdiction, and law enforcement with Colorado State Patrol and De Beque Marshal were also actively looking for this vehicle across Mesa County.

Jerome Police Department, located in Idaho, had a nationwide, $1 million cash-only warrant issued for second-degree kidnapping against 23-year-old Francisco Vargas Pegueros, from Texas. Deputies were able to take him into custody and transport him to the Mesa County Detention Facility without incident.

Details about the kidnapping case are solely associated with the Jerome Police Department’s case. The location and arrest of Pegueros was a combined effort between the Mesa County Sheriff’s Office, Colorado State Patrol, De Beque Marshal, and Garfield County Sheriff’s Office. The seamless coordination is a direct result of excellent working relationships between our community law enforcement partners.

There is no further information available at this time.