A man linked to a kidnapping, aggravated robberies, arson and attempted murders in Colorado Springs left a jury to decide his fate after denying a plea deal in court Thursday.

Joshua Spradling, 34, is tied to at least five felony-level crimes that occurred over the span of a year and a half across the city, according to Colorado court records. He could spend decades in prison if convicted on his dozens of charges.

Spradling’s defense counsel, William Griffin, told 4th Judicial District Judge Catherine Mitchell Helton that he’s been in “relentless” talks with prosecutors about a possible plea deal, but they have not been productive.

As a result, Spradling entered not-guilty pleas for all of his felony cases.

Griffin declined to provide a comment to The Gazette.

Spradling is set for a two-week trial for his kidnapping case starting Sept. 14. Though the prosecution said they would leave the opportunity for a plea deal on the table, at least for now.

Both sides agreed that the case’s outcome will likely influence the others.

Alleged crime spree lasted months

For almost two years, Spradling has been in and out of jail and has refused to appear in court for his cases after his first arrest on Aug. 11, 2024, on allegations of setting his ex-girlfriend’s garage on fire after stalking and threatening to kill her, The Gazette previously reported.

Spradling bonded out of jail later that year and failed to appear for a Dec. 5 court hearing for the case.

Between the time he bonded out of jail and his hearing, he allegedly committed three other crimes.

In November, he allegedly fired 19 rifle rounds toward a car and a house located near the arson incident, arrest papers show.

Days later, police linked him to an aggravated robbery with two other suspects. The three allegedly stole over $1,800 worth of items from a man they tricked into thinking they were meeting for a friendly get-together.

The next time police actually saw Spradling was through security footage from a business that he allegedly fired several 9 mm rounds at while the owner was inside on Dec. 14, 2024.

He was arrested four days later, partially for failing to appear in the stalking and arson case. During the arrest, police found a 9 mm pistol inside his car, which investigators say could have been the same weapon used at the shop.

Records show Spradling was out of jail by Jan. 29, 2025. That morning, two masked and armed men entered an apartment and held an elderly man at gunpoint then zip-tied his legs before allegedly stealing what they could and leaving, The Gazette previously reported.

Over a week later, the same masked men entered the Chief Vapor smoke shop along Garden of the Gods Road and and allegedly stole more than $40,000 worth of merchandise.

The masked suspects were linked to one other home invasion and subsequent robbery and an attempted home invasion that occurred in February of that year, The Gazette previously reported. According to police, an accomplice confessed to the crimes via text message and linked all the crimes to Spradling and two of his associates.

Eventually, police found Spradling and arrested him on March 7, 2025.

During his time in jail, he was charged with third-degree assault on Feb. 28, court documents show. He has yet to enter a plea for that charge.

He is being held at the El Paso County jail on several bonds that total over $1.2 million, records show.