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EAGLE MOUNTAIN — A South Jordan man has been arrested and accused of breaking into 10 meetinghouses of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Eagle Mountain in September.
And police believe the man may also be linked to a rash of church burglaries and vandalisms in the south end of Salt Lake County during the same time period.
Lee Pierce Baker, 20, was booked into the Utah County Jail on Thursday for investigation of 10 counts of burglary, 10 counts of property damage, and four counts of theft.
Between the night of Sept. 23 and the morning of Sept. 24, investigators believe Baker broke into Eagle Mountain churches at:
- 4338 E. Inverness Lane
- 3793 E. Rose Hearty Lane
- 87321 N. Desert Canyon Road
- 4588 N. Eagle Mountain Blvd.
- 7944 N. Smith Ranch Road
- 2011 E. Oquirrh Ranch Parkway
- 7746 N. Sparrowhawk Way
- 2977 E. Saddle Rock Road
- 4105 Smith Ranch Road
- 8285 N. Porter's Crossing
The total damage to all 10 buildings — mainly to doors — is estimated at nearly $17,800, according to a police booking affidavit.
Lee typically entered the meetinghouses by breaking an exterior door, and then doing the same to locked offices and other rooms inside the buildings. He is accused of taking donation slips with money, a gold ring, a tablet and other electronic devices.
About the same time those burglaries happened, police in Salt Lake County were investigating church burglaries in Herriman, West Jordan, South Jordan and Riverton.
Investigators in Utah County compared notes with detectives in Salt Lake County who had identified several suspects. One of those suspects confessed to being with Baker in Eagle Mountain, according to the affidavit.
The man "stated Baker knew the area and drove him to each of the churches. (He) stated he and Baker forced entry into the buildings to steal donations and whatever they could find to sell," the affidavit says.
Detectives also collected phone data that showed Baker was in the area of all the churches that were burglarized that night. On Thursday, a search warrant was served at Baker's South Jordan home and he was arrested.
"In looking through Baker's phone with the authorization of a warrant, I observed several messages from Baker informing friends that police were on to him. Baker told his friends that he would be going on the run, heading to Texas, or going to a safe house to avoid law enforcement. Baker is also suspected of committing several dozen more burglaries in the Salt Lake County and Lehi area," police noted.
