Businesses in Duchesne County are out thousands of dollars after string of thefts

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DUCHESNE COUNTY, Utah — You can find a little bit of everything at G.T. Enterprises in Duchesne.

What Guy Taylor found, though, is what has him so angry.

"They cut the seats right there," he said while pointing to the inside of his truck. "The battery is gone right here, too."

Taylor owns this car repair and tow shop and found he was missing tools, car parts, and a bunch of other items because someone got onto his property and stole them.

Car jacks, catalytic converters, and tool sets worth close to $10,000 are gone.

You think your fencing and all of that would be secure enough, but no, it's not. If they want in, they're going to get in," he said. "You really feel violated."

He's not the only business owner in this area feeling that way.

The Duchesne County Sheriff's Office says they have reports of 12 theft cases since March 1.

Do you know this guy? The Duchesne County Sheriffs Office would like to chat with him. Several business owners in the area say they've been hit hard by thefts. One excavation owner is down $100,000 in stolen equipment and can't accept new work. We'll have this story @KSL5TV at 10 pic.twitter.com/rBCBziepDO
— Alex Cabrero (@KSL_AlexCabrero) April 23, 2022

Detectives don't know if these cases are connected but have put pictures of a man on their Facebook page they would like to question.

Those pictures are from surveillance cameras some of the business owners had on their property.

"Most of them are in this type of business or related, you know?" Taylor said. "So, they know what they're after. They know where the tools are. They know where that kind of stuff is."

The latest business hit was this past weekend, just down the road from Taylor's shop.

Keith Farnsworth, who owns an excavation company with the same name, says he's out nearly $100,000.

"I mean, they stole stuff that I've been working for twenty years. I mean, tools that I seriously bought in high school that I used to rebuild my first truck with," he said.

Farnsworth also believes the person, or group of people, who did this knew what they were doing.

"We're doing a job right now that I don't have the tools to do," he said. "But I signed a contract. What do I do? I have to get it done."

It's not just the losses these business owners are facing now, it's also the losses they're facing tomorrow.

"Like, I have to seriously turn down jobs because we don't have the tools to do it now," Farnsworth said.

"Hopefully we'll catch them," Taylor said.

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Alex Cabrero

Alex Cabrero has been reporting for KSL since 2004. During his time in Salt Lake City, he has covered several high-profile Utah stories, including the Crandall Canyon mine collapse, the Trolley Square shootings, and the Susan Powell missing person case. He has also covered national and international stories for KSL with Utah connections, such as Hurricane Katrina from the Gulf Coast, the devastating California wildfires, and the earthquake disasters in both Haiti and Nepal. Alex has covered seven Olympics for KSL; 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2014 Sochi, 2016 Rio de Janeiro, 2018 PyeongChang, 2020 Tokyo, and 2022 Beijing. Alex is a 12-time Emmy Award winner, including a National Emmy for his reporting during a standoff in Tennessee. He also won an Emmy in 2016 for the best local TV news reporter in the Rocky Mountain Region. In all, Alex has won more than 50 awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Utah Broadcasters Association. Before coming to Utah, Alex covered the September 11th terrorist attacks, training for the first wave of soldiers from the 101st Airborne who would be sent to Afghanistan, and Country Music star Johnny Cash’s funeral. Prior to KSL, Alex reported for WTVF in Nashville, TN; WRCB in Chattanooga, TN; KPVI in Pocatello/Idaho Falls, Idaho; News 55 in Twin Falls, Idaho; and Cable 6 TV in Middletown, New York. Alex is from Rock Hill, New York. He graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Communications from Orange County (NY) Community College and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Broadcast Production from the State University of New York at New Paltz. Alex is an Eagle Scout, played college baseball, and was a volunteer firefighter/rescue SCUBA diver for the Rock Hill Fire Department He enjoys visiting National and State Parks, exploring the remote areas of Utah, and playing baseball for the Utah Rockies in the Utah Mens Adult Baseball League.