Steamboat Springs — The sheriff’s office was aided in the south Routt County burglary cases by a tip called in to Routt County Crime Stoppers. It’s the first time a tip to the 18-month-old organization has led to an arrest, said John Centner, president of Crime Stoppers.

It took a while to get going, but “the program is working and this bears that out,” Centner said. “This anonymous tip looks like it will result in multiple arrests in other unsolved crimes.”

The unidentified tipster could receive anywhere from $50 to $2,000 for volunteering the information used to make the arrests. The amount awarded depends on the severity of the crime.

Crime Stoppers has approximately $17,000 in its award account. The board has not had a chance to award any of the money, much of which was generated from fund-raisers such as Jail and Bail. This year’s Jail and Bail on March 30 raised about $12,000; half of that will be given to Partners of Routt County.

The Crime Stoppers board chose to share proceeds with Partners to emphasize crime prevention, Centner said.

“Partners is a youth mentoring program and that’s a good match because with good guidance, the likelihood of preventing criminal activity is high,” Centner said.

— To reach Michelle Bales call 871-4208 or e-mail mbales@amigo.net