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Pleasant Grove police are going through thousands of stolen items after busting up a theft ring that spanned two counties and victimized dozens of people. Officers arrested five suspects and recovered a large amount of stolen property.
The investigation started small, with one theft case. But it quickly turned into a big case as police uncovered a wide variety of crimes.
Lt. Michael Smith of the Pleasant Grove Police Department said, "It kind of snowballed into something larger than we ever thought it would be. We've arrested five people who have been involved in a multitude of crimes as far as vehicle burglaries, residential burglaries, identity theft, credit card fraud, check forgeries. And of course drugs are intermingled into all of it."
The evidence room at the Pleasant Grove Police Department is full of recovered items. From clothing to electronics to other valuables, the suspects had just about everything. Rows of tables are covered with everything from wake boards to pairs of underwear and cell phones.
Police believe, not only were the suspects stealing the items, but they were also using stolen credit cards and checks to buy the property, which they would then try to pawn or trade for drugs.
"When they were arrested, they were all on drugs at the time," Lt. Smith said. "In fact, when the arrest was made, we made a traffic stop of a driver coming in the area, and he was delivering drugs to these individuals. There were drugs found in the hotel room they were staying in, and it's all been linked to the motivation of drugs."
Police believe these five people, Brandon Behunin, Ricky Martinez, Matthew Mercer, Elizabeth Hayden and Kimberly Carter, are responsible for a lot of crime in the area lately, including car break-ins and thefts from homes and garages.
Police now have the task of trying to get all the stuff back to the owners. If you believe your property may have been recovered, you can call the detectives at the Pleasant Grove Police Department at 785-3506.
E-mail: rjeppesen@ksl.com
E-mail: spenrod@ksl.com
