Man arrested for alleged thefts that filled 'an entire storage unit'

Man arrested for alleged thefts that filled 'an entire storage unit'

(West Valley Public Information Office)


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WEST VALLEY CITY — A routine traffic stop led police to the discovery of a cache of stolen property and the arrest of a man suspected of committing burglaries "on an almost nightly basis," police said.

Cody Bertelsen, 35, was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of possession of a stolen vehicle, fleeing and other charges. Detectives will ask prosecutors to consider filing criminal charges such as auto theft, fraud, identification theft, burglary and more, said West Valley Police Sgt. Jason Hauer.

On Oct. 16, detectives pulled over Bertelsen during a traffic stop around 10:30 p.m. Officers questioned him to determine whether he was driving a stolen vehicle and had fled from police days earlier, Hauer said.

Bertelsen did not cooperate with officers during interviews and police booked him into jail. Hauer said investigators had only scratched the surface of the man's alleged crimes.

Police located the stolen vehicle from the Oct. 12 incident and "evidence inside the vehicle led us to write several search warrants which further produced evidence indicating Cody Burtelsen and others, who were yet unidentified at that time, (were involved) in several burglaries and incidents of fraud," Hauer said.

Officers then acquired another search warrant for Bertelsen's home.

"Once at the home, (officers) located stolen credit cards, business checks, laptops, computers and other items of stolen evidence," he said. Drug paraphernalia was also allegedly found in the home.


Our detectives are continuing to sort through everything that's in there and try to link it to cases that Bertelsen may have been involved in.

–West Valley Police Sgt. Jason Hauer


Officers also obtained a warrant for a storage unit and found a stolen motorcycle and "basically an entire storage unit filled with what we believe to be stolen property," the sergeant said.

Those items included printers and other electronics stolen in a Staples business burglary along with "tens to hundreds of other items believed to be stolen property," according to Hauer.

"Our detectives are continuing to sort through everything that's in there and try to link it to cases that Bertelsen may have been involved in," he said.

Investigators have identified two other suspects and are looking to track them down. Hauer said the three are suspected of committing burglaries "on an almost nightly basis."

Hauer said Bertelsen is someone they have had dealings with in the past.

"He was on our radar," he said. "We think it was an excellent job done by our officers and I think it shows the dedication and the committment to trying to get these cases wrapped up and people like this off the streets."

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