A burglary suspect found hiding in the attic of a realty business in a southeast Colorado Springs strip mall may be in bigger trouble after police said he lied about his identity when he was taken into custody.

Tyler Christopher Konecne, 43, could face charges of attempting to influence a public official, a felony, and misdemeanor charges on suspicion of providing a fake license.

Police initially identified the man as 31-year-old James McDow when he was arrested on suspicion of second-degree burglary. But they soon discovered his fingerprints did not match the name he provided.

“Based on the fact that he had a driver’s license and he knew the information on it, there was no way to know that he was lying,” said Lt. Catherine Buckley. “When he was booked into the El Paso County jail, his fingerprints were taken and run through the database, and a different identity matched.”

Police evacuated most of the businesses in a seven-unit strip mall off Academy Boulevard and Hancock Expressway about 10 a.m. Monday, when they suspected a burglar was hiding in the attic of Town and County Realty.

According to court documents, Konecne allegedly caused about $2,000 in damages when he entered the realty office through an air duct, cutting a hole about 20 inches in diameter to get into the ceiling, damaging the HVAC system, the ceiling and electronics.

An officer noticed some ceiling tiles off their tracks in a bathroom and saw someone moving and carrying a backpack above the insulation, the arrest warrant stated.

After the intruder failed to respond to orders from police or pepper spray, he was subdued by a police dog and taken into custory, police said.

Police reportedly found tools including screw drivers, flashlights and knives in a backpack Konecne was allegedly carrying.

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