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SALT LAKE CITY — Theft charges have been filed against a Taylorsville man who police say was involved in the July 20 theft of custom-made ice skates and other items from lockers at the Utah Olympic Oval.
Jesse Michael Wood, 41, was arrested Friday after employees at the ice skating facility identified him in surveillance video. Employees also confirmed Wood's identity when police showed them the man's driver's license photo, according to charges filed Tuesday in 3rd District Court.
The video shows Wood and another man entering the locker room of the facility with a duffel bag just before 6 p.m. After about eight minutes, the men leave the locker room with two duffel bags, court documents state.
Employees found that four lockers had been broken into and emptied, according to the charges.
The two men also were captured on surveillance video leaving the parking lot in a truck, which police later learned was registered to Wood.
When police went to Wood's home to question him, a detective observed that the man was wearing the same hat, shoes and shorts captured in the surveillance video.
When police went to Wood's home to question him, a detective observed that the man was wearing the same hat, shoes and shorts captured in the surveillance video, according to the charges.
Police said Wood admitted to being at the Olympic Oval with his friend, "Wayne," and that Wayne had taken "a few things," the charges state. Wood told police he didn't realize what his friend had done "until he returned to the truck with a bag."
Wood also told police that his friend still had the stolen property and that they planned to meet up later to sort out what was taken, according to the charges. Wood also said he couldn't remember his friend's last name.
Items stolen from the lockers include:
- A pair of $3,000 custom-made ice skates
- Two hockey bags
- A pair of iPhones
- An Android smartphone
In all, police say the men stole an estimated $4,900 in property from the lockers. Wood faces six, third-degree felony counts of theft in connection with the incident. He was being held in the Salt Lake County Jail on $25,000 bail.
The second man in the surveillance video has yet to be identified. Police ask anyone with information about the theft to call 801-743-7000.
