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WEST VALLEY CITY — Police here are investigating two burglaries that appear to be related where one home was trashed and another was spray painted Thursday afternoon.
The worst of the damage was discovered about 5:30 p.m. at a house near 2900 S. 7000 West when the homeowners arrived to find jewelry and a gun missing, and their house uninhabitable.
"They tipped over the fridge, they poured condiments and food and things like that all over the floor," West Valley City Police Lt. Matt Elson said. "They pulled pictures down off the walls, they put holes in the walls, they just trashed the place. Several thousands of dollars-worth of damage."
The other burglary occurred about four hours earlier one block away, according to Elson. There, he said, several items were taken, including a gun, a gaming system with accessories, cash, prescription medications, a laptop and some speakers.
"It's shocking to us. It's disturbing, to say the least, that somebody would not only break into somebody's home ... (and) take their stuff, but to add insult to injury, trash the home. There's absolutely no need, no reason for it."
The intruders also found a can of spray paint in the home and used it to vandalize several items, Elson said.
Police say the homeowners in that incident may have arrived home while the burglary was still in progress because several items had been laid out on the garage floor, apparently ready to be carried out, Elson said. However, no one was in the home when they went inside.
Police believe the two cases are related and were pursuing several tips in the investigation. Details on the intruders were unclear.
"It's hard to tell exactly who did this, whether it's adults or juveniles," Elson said. "A lot of people think that just because of the random vandalism and destruction that it's a juvenile thing, but you can't say for sure."
While such cases are not unheard of, Elson said the level of damage was excessive.
"It's shocking to us," he said. "It's disturbing, to say the least, that somebody would not only break into somebody's home ... (and) take their stuff, but to add insult to injury, trash the home. There's absolutely no need, no reason for it."
