Estimated read time: 3-4 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
SALT LAKE CITY — A man with a lengthy criminal rap sheet was arrested Wednesday in connection with a with a string of burglaries near an Eagle Mountain church two days before Christmas.
Steven Brad Laursen, 41, of American Fork, was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of criminal mischief, theft and burglary of a vehicle, according to a Utah County Jail report. Utah County Sheriff’s deputies previously arrested Bradlee Kalkbrenner, 34, of Pleasant Grove, in connection with the case on Dec. 24.
Both are accused of breaking into at least a half-dozen cars parked near a chapel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 7241 N. Ute Drive on the morning of Dec. 23.
One vehicle in the parking lot had a dash-cam recording that showed images of two men. Once the images were publicly released, authorities received nearly a dozen tips from those who said they knew the identities of the men.
A jail report for Laursen released Wednesday stated that items stolen during the “smash and grabs” included wallets, credit cards, driver’s licenses, cash, gift cards and a tablet.
A Salt Lake County jail report shows he was arrested two days before the Eagle Mountain break-ins were reported. In that case, Laursen was arrested on suspicion of burglary of a vehicle, possession of a controlled substance with intent to distribute, and other drug-related offenses in connection with a Cottonwood Heights incident on Dec. 21.
The jail report stated that Laursen "had been involved in vehicle burglaries," and was in possession of a handicap placard and a Walkman. The placard was traced to an address near where Laursen was arrested. The vehicle the placard was connected to also contained equipment for a Walkman, according to the report. Cottonwood Heights police also found more than 50 grams of methamphetamine, 1.3 grams of heroin and a “small amount of marijuana” in Laursen’s possession at the time of his arrest, the jail report added.
On Nov. 17, 2017, Laursen pleaded guilty to burglary and possession of a controlled substance, second-degree felonies, theft, a third-degree felony, and criminal mischief, a class A misdemeanor, in connection with a July 2017 incident in Spanish Fork. Laursen was arrested in that case when deputies used an app to track a stolen laptop to a business where he worked at the time, Utah County Sheriff’s Sgt. Spencer Cannon said at the time.
Laursen's pleas were held in abeyance for 36 months, pending successful completion of specific terms. As a part of the deal, Laursen was ordered to comply with drug court, according to court documents. Records show he graduated from drug court in October 2018. It is unclear whether one of the other terms — to have no additional violations in the 36-month period — would be affected by the recent burglary arrests.
On Monday, Kalkbrenner was charged in 4th District Court with three counts of theft, a third-degree felony, and three counts of possession or use of a controlled substance, two second-degree felonies and one a third-degree felony. He was also facing eight other misdemeanors related to the vehicle break-ins and police chase prior to his arrest.
