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DUCHESNE — The Duchesne County Sheriff's Office is hoping to figure out who owns thousands of dollars in stolen tools recovered over the weekend during a joint investigation with Wasatch County authorities.
The case began Friday night, when someone called police to say there was a vehicle parked at a closed construction site in Heber City, according to Heber City senior police officer Xela Thomas.
"The caller gave an excellent description of the suspect vehicle," Thomas said, adding that officers were able to stop the vehicle a short distance from the construction site.
Officers interviewed the driver, Jose Alberto Madrid-Rubio, and his wife, Isabel Rosanna Ramos, after finding burglary tools inside the vehicle, Thomas said. Based on those interviews, officers believe the Duchesne County couple is responsible for "numerous vehicle burglaries, criminal mischief and theft incidents" throughout Wasatch County, Thomas said.
Wasatch County investigators and Duchesne County sheriff's detectives executed a search warrant at the couple's home in Altamont. They said they recovered "hundreds of stolen items, linking the pair to numerous open cases in the Heber City, Wasatch County and Duchsene County areas."
It's sad, because a lot of people don't record the serial numbers or don't mark their property.
–Heber City senior police officer Xela Thomas
Madrid-Rubio was booked into the Wasatch County Jail for investigation of burglary, altering a vehicle registration and possession of burglary tools. He is being held without bail due to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detainer, Thomas said.
Ramos was not arrested because she is "9 ½ months pregnant," according to investigators. She is expected to face charges though, Thomas said.
"She's just as culpable," the officer said. "There's no way she could not have known what was going on."
Detectives now face the challenging task of determining who owns the scores of power tools, air compressors and generators they've recovered so they can return them to their rightful owners.
"It's sad, because a lot of people don't record the serial numbers or don't mark their property," Thomas said, noting that people have to be able to prove ownership before police can return stolen property to them.
Anyone with information about the case, or anyone who believes they may be a victim, should call 435-654-1411 in Wasatch County or 435-738-2015 in Duchesne County.
