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LEWISTON, Cache County — Every night, Katie Wallentine drives past her father-in-law's tire shop on her way home and takes a quick look to make sure everything is all right.
But something unsettling caught her eye Friday night.
About 9:40 p.m., well after closing time, Wallentine noticed a set of headlights behind Lewiston's Cache Valley Tire Inc., 13415 N. Hwy. 91. She called her father-in-law, Reed Wallentine, and asked if the car was one they had been working on. He told her it wasn't.
Burglaries aren't new for the family. Reed Wallentine estimates in the past 14 years, he's lost $45,000 from burglaries at the shop, including one just last month.
"I'm angry that this continues to happen," he said. "We lock everything up and they cut the locks off."
With that in mind, Katie Wallentine turned around and pulled into the back of the shop, where she saw a man "jumping into his vehicle" and driving away.
Then she took a risk.
"I chased him," she said.
The driver of the gray GMC Yukon, led Wallentine to a driveway near 600 East and 11600 North where she attempted to box in his vehicle and prevent it from fleeing. The two vehicles collided, and the man swerved around her SUV, running over a section of a barbed wire fence before fleeing, according to Cache County Sheriff's Lt. Mike Peterson.
The man escaped from Wallentine, but she was able to provide police with part of a license plate number and a detailed description of his vehicle.
Several officers responded to the incident, and a deputy who positioned himself along Highway 91 saw a vehicle that matched Wallentine's description heading south. The deputy pulled the vehicle over at about 8000 North and Logan McKell Reidel-Rupert, 32, of Logan, was taken into custody without incident, Peterson said.
Officers also discovered a 12-year-old boy in the vehicle, believed to be Reidel-Rupert's son, according to Peterson. The boy is now in the care of family members.
Investigators have linked the man to "numerous" recent burglaries and thefts throughout Cache County, mostly involving the theft of metal, Peterson said. He was booked into the Cache County Jail for investigation of burglary, theft, leaving the scene of an accident, reckless endangerment and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, the lieutenant said.
A search of court records shows a long list of charges against Reidel-Rupert dating back to 2002, including disorderly conduct and several traffic offenses.
"It's a pretty sad deal that he would have a minor with him," Peterson said. "Obviously not a good example."
Peterson said that while Wallentine's actions leading to Reidel-Rupert's arrest were dangerous, he understands why she felt compelled to pursue him.
"I can appreciate her situation," he said. "We wouldn't encourage anybody to take action on their own, but she chose to tonight, and it ended up being very helpful to us."
Reed Wallentine, who expressed frustration about the burglaries at his shop despite his efforts to safeguard it, said he is grateful to his daughter-in-law.
"I love her to death," he said, adding his appreciation to the Cache County Sheriff's Office.
"It's a good night when they can catch them," he said.
Katie Wallentine, who works in firefighting and emergency medical services, said she was able to keep her adrenaline in check during the chase, though she admits she was "a little bit hot under the collar."
"It was worth my truck getting broken," she said. "People work hard for everything that they have nowadays, so it's just not right that people can break in and go get money for stuff that they steal."
Contributing: Brian Champagne and Keith McCord
