Police arrest 'break room thief' after she allegedly stole wallets, keys and bags, targeting dentists

MILLCREEK – On Thursday, Unified Police tracked down and arrested the woman they said was responsible for stealing from multiple businesses, including dental offices. "Detectives arrested Alicia Christiansen Turnbow," Sgt. Aymee Race, with the Unified Police Department, said. "She's 43-years-old, out of Salt Lake, and we have a multitude of charges at this point ranging from thefts, vehicle thefts and burglary." Race said they've been searching for this suspect for months. "This individual goes into businesses while they're open and goes in, goes through personal items, takes personal items, and is then leaving," Race said. "On two occasions that we're aware of they have also taken vehicle keys and actually taken those vehicles and use them to go commit other crimes." Employees at Natural Smiles Dentistry in Millcreek said they were burglarized Monday. Dr. Thomas Frank Brickey said his employees noticed their back door to an office was closed, which was unusual. Then, some of his staff said their purses had been taken out of the personal lockers in that room. He said they think the thief came in through a side door that's normally locked and exited out a back way, where he said a construction worker saw a woman wearing a white hat. "The construction worker looked at her, but she turned her head and she walked in front of the building," Brickey said. "She stole at least three purses, wallets, keys." Natural Smiles Dentistry employees told KSL TV the suspect stole $2,500 from a secure savings account using an employee's ID they took. They started doing their own detective work, leading them to a KSL TV story on a similar case from November. A dental office in Orem showed camera footage of a woman wearing what appeared to be a wig and a white beanie, rummaging through their breakroom and stealing personal items. https://ksltv.com/local-news/brazen-breakroom-thief-caught-on-camera-in-orem-dental-office/702214/ "At 3 that day, she went to Home Depot and tried to use the credit cards, tried to buy $1,500 worth of stuff, and the Home Depot suspected something was wrong," Brickey said. "We showed her pictures from your previous stories, and the manager at Home Depot said, 'Yes, that's the same woman.'" Brickey said they believe the woman was spooked when the cards were declined and left the stolen car at a nearby parking lot. "The lady whose car was stolen now had to pay $500 or $600 just to get her car out of the tow lot, so it's insult upon injury that she had to get a new car fob made, which was several hundred dollars," he said. Orem dental hygienist Emily Goodrich told KSL TV that other offices reached out to her after our story aired, including employee Brandi Wendrich from Out of This World Dentistry in Draper. "She just popped her head in the front door, and I asked her if there was something I could help her with because she struck me kind of odd," Wendrich said. "She said, 'I was looking for,' kind of mumbled a dentist's name that I didn't recognize." [gallery ids="733567,733566,733568,733570,733569"] She left but was spotted by another employee in the back breakroom. "Asked her, 'Can I help you with something?' And she says, 'Oh, no, I'm just lost,'" Wendrich said. The back room has its own door. Wendrich said it's how they believe this woman got inside and stole someone's credit card, immediately charging $1,500 worth of items from Sally Beauty to it almost immediately. The beauty supply store is across the street. "She just walks in like she's a patient. She's quick," Wendrich said. "She knows what she's doing. She comes in, she knows what she's looking for. It sounds like she targets offices that have dual entrances." Draper Police confirmed to KSL TV  the suspect in their case is the same individual investigated in the Orem case. Draper PD said they were working with Unified Police as well. Wendrich and Brickey said the thefts left their offices feeling violated. "If you feel something's wrong, something's wrong," Brickey said. "Trust your gut. When people prove who they are, believe them." Race said the public does help in cases like this one. "When people see the information that we ask you guys to put out or put it out on social media, and they recognize these people, more often than not, we do get tips of who those individuals are, where they've last seen them," she said. She said those who think they could also be potential victims of Turnbow, or think a previously reported case may be linked to her, contact police at Estory@unifiedpoliceut.gov or call 801-840-4000.

Related topics