CHEYENNE — A Laramie County man was arrested Thursday on a felony first-degree murder warrant in connection with the May 2017 death of a Burns man in Weld County, Colorado.
Mark Dean Switzer, 71, of County Road 206 in Carpenter was taken into custody by Laramie County sheriff’s deputies at 3:23 p.m. at the Cheyenne Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Pershing Boulevard. The warrant for his arrest had been signed by a Colorado judge on Wednesday.
According to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office, on May 18, 2017, deputies responded to the intersection of Weld County Road 136 and WCR 77, west of Hereford, Colorado, for a report of a possible fatal traffic accident. Initial reports were that the driver of an 18-wheel semi-truck was working on the truck when it unexpectedly moved and he was run over.
However, it was later determined that Nathan T. Combs II, 49, of Burns had died from apparent gunshot wounds that were not self-inflicted.
On Friday, WCSO posted on its Facebook page that its detectives conducted interviews, gathered evidence and completed other investigative work that resulted in a search warrant for Switzer’s Carpenter home.
“Several firearms and ammunition were collected during the execution of the search warrant, which were sent for testing and analysis at the Northern Forensic Regional Laboratory, the FBI, and the Colorado Bureau of Investigation,” the Facebook post said. The search warrant was executed by Weld and Laramie County detectives working together.
Although Switzer is in custody, the investigation is ongoing, WCSO officials said.
Anyone with information about the case can call the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at 970-356-4015 or Northern Colorado Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS. Tips can also be submitted through the Crime Stoppers website at crimeshurt.com.
Information about when Switzer would be extradited to Colorado or the date for his first court appearance weren’t immediately available Friday.
