The man Frisco Police officers arrested May 1 after a multiday manhunt in Breckenridge and Frisco faced sentencing Monday, Nov. 3, in a Summit County courtroom.

Officials believe Hector Castellanos-Divas, 30, entered as many as five cars and three properties in Summit County, according to arrest documents. He pleaded guilty to two counts of trespassing into inhabited dwellings and one count of vehicular eluding, all of which are felonies.

Castellanos-Divas faced other charges that were dismissed by his plea deal, including felony motor vehicle theft, two misdemeanor counts for trespassing into vehicles, felony and misdemeanor theft charges and misdemeanors for possessing burglary tools and trespassing into a dwelling. 

The prosecution and defense agreed on recommending a three-year probation sentence to judge Karen Romero. Romero followed the recommendation, sentencing Castellanos-Divas to three years of probation with at least two years supervised. He also must undergo a substance abuse evaluation and follow all its recommendations.

Castellanos-Divas received a 90-day jail sentence as part of his probation, but Romero granted him credit for his 186 days served in jail by his time of sentencing. The fines and costs associated with his three counts totaled around $2,000.

A case worker from Summit County’s Strategies to Avoid Relapse and Recidivism program, or STARR, spoke at Castellanos-Divas’ sentencing, saying he had participated in individual and group therapy sessions. The case worker said Castellanos-Divas had been a “pleasure” to work with and is now familiar with ways to ask for help and the resources available to him.

Carolin Lopez, a public defense attorney representing Castellanos-Divas, said he experienced emotional instability at the time of his arrest. Lopez said Castellanos-Divas is young and wants to learn from his mistakes and move forward.

Castellanos-Divas spoke to the court through an interpreter, saying he had been using substances, lost his job and found out his stepfather who raised him died a few weeks before his arrest. He said he did things that were not “in accordance with my principles” and apologized for his actions. 

Romero said she believed Castellanos-Divas to be “genuine, articulate and remorseful.” She said he took advantage of treatment opportunities while in jail and led by example for other inmates.

After telling Castellanos-Divas the details of his sentence, Romero encouraged him to continue getting treatment, get a job and find a place to stay. The best way for him to make up for his actions, she said, is to do better in the community.

Arrest affidavits stated a resident of Moonstone Road area near Breckenridge saw Castellanos-Divas pull out of a neighboring driveway April 30 in what turned out to be a car stolen from Commerce City. The resident saw him wearing a ski mask while leaving the home, found him suspicious and called law enforcement around 3:30 p.m.

A Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputy saw the stolen car while responding to that call and radioed another deputy, who pulled out behind it and turned on their overhead lights, the affidavits stated. Castellanos-Divas sped up and ran a red light at the intersection of Highway 9 and Swan Mountain Road, according to the affidavits.

Law enforcement tracked Castellanos-Divas to a neighborhood near Frisco Elementary, but a search for him that lasted into the evening April 30 was unsuccessful, affidavits stated. 

A Dillon Police officer saw a man matching Castellanos-Divas’ description at a bus stop in Frisco, and the man ran from the officer when confronted, according to an affidavit. Officers chased the man, eventually detaining him after a Frisco Police officer pulled their service weapon and aimed it at him.

Items found in the vehicle stolen from Commerce City and on Castellanos-Divas’ person at the time of his arrest led law enforcement to five more possible victims, in addition to a man who reported finding Castellanos-Divas sleeping in the man’s truck around 8 a.m. May 1.