In January, 2010, 33-year-old Benjamin Michael Whalen, believed to be a former flyfishing guide, allegedly knocked off a string of specialty flyshops in Colorado. He is charged with multiple misdemeanors and felonies for crimes committed across a number of Colorado County jurisdictions. Whalen’s modus operandi was to enter a shop and discuss a gift for his father and the purchase of high-end rods and reels. Once the shop employee was distracted, the suspect would leave the store quickly with the items. The crime spree lasted half a month. At the time, Internet blogs, message boards, and fishing forums lit up.  A virtual posse was deputized and dispatched to track the culprit down.  There was significant speculation as to who could/would target such small niche businesses—and get away with it for so long.  In general, there was outrage. Whalen is currently behind bars in Arapahoe County Jail, awaiting trail and facing up to 8+ years in prison.

"He said he was going to meet his mom here in about 15 minutes and that his dad was going to Patagonia to do some flyfishing and they wanted to buy him a gift," Long told Denver’s 9NEWS. "We took him out back with a set up and he cast it for a while. He cast very well and he asked me if he could try a different set up so I walked back in the shop to get it, walked back out and he had ran off with the rod.”

Kyle Murphy, who works at Trout’s Fly Fishing in Denver, had a similar experience.

“He seemed a bit weird, but so are a lot of the anglers we get in here. He seemed to know about flyfishing. He told me he wanted to buy his father a rod and reel for a trip to South America for Christmas. I said, ‘Christmas? Christmas was last month.’ He said, ‘Oh yeah, I meant his birthday.’”

After 20 minutes the suspect told Murphy he was going outside for a cigarette. Murphy never saw him again, along with two Abel reels that subsequently disappeared. Video surveillance confirmed the theft.

In total, 7 to 10 shops were targeted in Denver, Arapahoe, and Jefferson County. Weeks later, Whalen was arrested trying to pawn items with a fake ID. When he was caught by the police, he possessed the following: two driver’s licenses; two wire cutters; and two used syringe needles in the bottom of an aluminum can with a brown, burnt looking resin on it.

When asked about the driver’s licenses, Whalen said he'd received different identification cards from a friend; he uses them because he has outstanding warrants. (Whalen in fact had two warrants outstanding.)

When asked about the wire cutters, he said, “I use them for everything, work, shoplifting, whatever.”

Asked what he pawned, Whalen said, “A flyfishing reel.”

His drug of choice? The affidavit reads: “Benjamin told her he currently uses heroin and Xanax.”

It is not until the final page of the arrest document, where police interviews are summarized, that the story starts to take shape. Whalen offered the following comments: 

—He used to be a fishing guide so he knew the value of the items
—During the thefts he was “strung-out” on heroin
—When asked about specific shops, he said: “He can’t remember. He was in flyshops all over the city. He just went nuts.”

As of this writing, Whalen’s Public Defender has declined multiple requests for interviews with Whalen. The suspect faces a number of court hearings over the next several months, and possibly a trial by his peers. In the Arapahoe County case alone, he faces a class 4 felony theft charge, which carries a sentence of up to 8 years, and a class 1 misdemeanor theft charge, which could lead to an additional 18 months in jail. Until his trial or a plea agreement is made, Whalen remains behind bars in Arapahoe County Jail.

Life is full of decisions to make—even for us fly anglers. It would appear, at least on paper, that Benjamin Whalen made a number of bad ones somewhere along the way.

Will Rice is a contributing editor at The Drake. 

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