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ROY — Police are searching for thieves who broke into the Utah storage unit of an airman serving in Afghanistan and took most of his personal belongings.
Among other items, thieves took wedding rings, photographs, custom snowboard equipment and an ATV from the Alpine Storage unit of Jeff LaPoint on May 5.
His former wife, Jana LaPoint, told KTVX-TV (http://bit.ly/KZpZMX) that storage unit managers called her last weekend to inform her of the theft. She estimates the value of the stolen items at up to $12,000.
"He's already having a hard time over there and now he has got to deal with this," she said, adding he's on his third tour of duty overseas.
Jana LaPoint said the airman is expected to return from Afghanistan later this month for two weeks. He's serving a one-year tour of duty.
"He left the stuff here that he was going to live off of - towels, blankets, everything," she said.
She said while he has insurance, she's not sure if it covers the stolen items. The storage facility is not responsible for the loss.
Thieves cut his unit's lock and replaced it with a look- alike. The storage facility's gate closes at 10 p.m., according to a sign.
"I think that it's sad. I think that it's sad that we have a locked gate here and people can still get through it," she said.
Jana LaPoint issued a plea to the thieves: "Bring it back. If you have a heart, drop it at the gate. They know whose (property) it is if you drop it at the gate."
(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)
