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RIVERDALE -- A man who police believe was stealing wallets and purses at real estate and title offices is behind bars. When he entered an office in Riverdale Wednesday, an alert real estate agent became suspicious and called police.
"He's coming in here for no real reason, looking around, seeing who's here and what's going on," the real estate agent, who asked not to be identified, said.
The man pretended to be interested in real estate, but the agent asked him to come back later when her boss was there.
"I was just trying to get him to leave," she said. That's because she suspected he was the serial thief she'd heard about.
E-mail alerts from the Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors went out warning their members about the man after Bernice Sitton's wallet was stolen. She and her husband own a real estate agency in Riverdale.
"He came in at about 11:30 last Tuesday and wanted to get a list of some properties," Sitton said.
When her husband went to the printer, the man said he'd be back in 20 minutes. "A half hour later, he called me, and that's when he wanted my PIN number and said if I didn't give it to him, he was going to kill my husband," Sitton said.
The same man has been seen in several brokerages from Tremonton to Kaysville. "Our concern was for the safety of our membership, primarily, but we were worried that he might steal things, and we were also worried that he could also hurt somebody," said Mike Ostermiller, CEO of the Northern Wasatch Association of Realtors.
The real estate agent who saw him Wednesday put an end to the man's alleged crime spree. She called police, who, after a short foot chase, arrested Samuel Devargas.
Devargas has been driving a stolen car, which belongs to Angel Clayton. She says, last week, a man took her keys and wallet after browsing in the wedding shop in Kaysville where she works.
"He came in right as I opened the door and said he was looking for a dress for his daughter," Clayton said.
Police say Devargas is now a suspect in numerous thefts and attempted thefts in Box Elder, Weber and Davis counties. Tuesday's arrest is a relief to victims.
"We've never had anything like this happen, and I hope we don't ever again," Sitton said.
Riverdale police say they found some stolen items in the car Devargas was driving. He was booked into the Weber County Jail for theft, having a stolen car and avoiding arrest.
E-mail: syi@ksl.com
