An Arapahoe County District Court jury convicted a man of aggravated robbery and second-degree assault in absentia; the defendant was out on bond, and he skipped out during trial and cut off his GPS ankle monitor.

Miguel Angel Leon-Caballero, 23, failed to appear in court on the morning of his third day of trial. The judge did not issue a bench warrant until the afternoon. By then, the defendant had cut off his ankle monitor. He is still at large.

“There’s no better way to signal your belief that you are going to be convicted than to gutlessly flee the trial you insisted upon. It looks like he read the jury correctly,” said District Attorney George Brauchler. “The behavior for which this fugitive was convicted is dangerous. The public should be concerned that he has been out of custody pending the outcome of his trial for this violent conduct.”

On July 19, 2017 in Aurora, Leon-Caballero and an accomplice were getting a ride from the victim in a 2014 Chevrolet Silverado extended-cab pickup. The victim told police Leon-Caballero tried to strangle him with a phone charger cord, but he got away. The victim ran from the truck after the assault. The defendant and his accomplice drove away in the truck.

Authorities later found the stolen truck, and surveillance videos and other evidence corroborated the victim’s statements.

The jury convicted Leon-Caballero of aggravated robbery, a Class 3 felony; second-degree assault, a Class 4 felony; motor vehicle theft, a Class 5 felony; criminal mischief, a Class 5 felony; and driving under restraint, a misdemeanor.

A sentencing date will be set when Leon-Caballero is back in custody.

Anyone with information about his whereabouts is asked to call local law enforcement.

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