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He's had a leading role in several LDS comedies, but he spent this weekend in jail on theft charges.
Michael Birkeland was arrested on Friday after police say he stole a computer from Utah Valley University. The man, who is used to being in front of the camera, was actually caught because of a camera built in the computer.
The computer was stolen in April, and police have been trying to catch up with the suspect since then. They did on Friday and arrested him on charges of felony theft.
From "The Singles Ward," to "The Home Teachers" and "Church Ball", Michael Birkeland has become a familiar face to moviegoers in Utah in these LDS comedies.
But his face was also familiar to an art instructor at Utah Valley University. The instructor's computer disappeared after class on April 3, a class that Birkeland was visiting.
Two days later, the victim logged onto Skype and, thanks to the built in camera in his MacBook Pro computer, he could see exactly who was using his stolen computer over the Internet.
The instructor contacted Birkeland online and also by phone, asking for the computer back, which is valued at $2,128.
Court documents state that Birkeland then covered up the camera on the computer to conceal his identity.
Instead of directly returning the computer, police say he dropped it off at the gift shop at Thanksgiving Point.
Investigators have been looking for Birkeland ever since and found him on Friday. He was arrested and booked into jail on charges of felony theft and was there until he had a bail hearing this morning.
Birkeland's bail was set at $3,000, and he posted bond this afternoon. He will be back in court next Monday.
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
