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Gene Kennedy reportingA culprit in string of vehicle burglaries all over Salt Lake Valley has been captured.
The man arrested is 30-year-old Brandon Hayden. In the back of his car, deputies found hundreds of CDs, an emergency road kit, a video camera, someone's climbing gear, several cell phones and credit cards.
Deputies also found a pair of gloves and instruments used to break car windows.
Witnesses say they saw Brandon Hayden breaking into a BMW SUV at a Cottonwood Height apartment complex this morning.
Witnesses also spotted Hayden's beige Crown Victoria, so police had a description of the suspect's car. A patrol officer spotted it in a Cottonwood Height Neighborhood, pulled it over, and found a car full of stolen loot.
Deputies think there are 30-40 victims, from all over the Salt Lake Valley.
Dep. Jason Ashment, Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office: "Just the items that I personally located in the vehicle upon searching it, I recognized as complainants' that I had spoken to over the past few months. I knew right off the bat, three or four or five of the individuals I had spoken to, I had found either some of or all of their property. And I am one officer."
Deputies believed they also confiscated meth. They are certain that paying for a drug habit is what drove Brandon Hayden to break into people's cars.
Hayden is in jail on several charges. Detectives are calling victims trying to get all the stolen items back to rightful owners. They say if you've been a victim, don't call them, they will call you.
