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Richard Piatt reporting South Salt Lake police detectives are investigating a burglary at a Department of Motor Vehicles office. A crime they say was both lucrative and well planned.
The break-in happened overnight at Salt Lake City's newest DMV office, located at 380 W. 2880 South.
The loss to the DMV branch is so extentsive, and the damage to the buidling so severe, it's going to be closed tomorrow. Police are describing this crime as sophisticated--well planned out.
Police say it was probably a team of people who started at this carpet business about a block away--stealing a pick up truck, fork lift and moving van. The team then went to the DMV, where they disabled both the power and phone systems, connected to alarms, broke in, and took two large safes. Inside those safes, police say there was a significant amount of both cash and licence plate tabs. The thieves then ditched the fork lift and pickup and left with the moving truck,belonging to McRae Sales.
Tad McRae/Business Owner: "IT WAS EXTREMELY WELL PLANNED. AND ALL THE POLICE OFFICERS SAID IT WAS ONE OF THE MOST SOPHISTICATED ROBBEREIS IN SOUTH SALT LAKE IN A LONG TIME. SO NO SIGN OF THE TRUCKS? NO, THEY GOT AWAY WITH ONLY ONE, IT WAS A BIG BOX TRUCK ABOUT 28 FEET LONG."
Now the search for that truck---and the suspects is on. Unfortunately, that truck is fairly generic looking. For the state, an audit will reveal the extent of the loss.
In the meantime, this branch of the D-M-V will be closed tomorrow Customers are asked to use the South Jordan or Farmington offices instead.
