Traffic stop leads to discovery of high-quality fake IDs, checks, police say

COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS — A man who police say was involved with the manufacturing of high-quality fake drivers' licenses and checks has been arrested.

Over the weekend, officers attempted to stop a vehicle with no license plates, said Cottonwood Heights Police Sgt. Dave Broadhead. The driver fled and the car was found abandoned a short time later.

Inside and around the car, investigators found a cell phone that had been dropped as well as "a ton of manufactured checks, drivers' licenses and ID cards."

After abandoning their car, several suspects went to a nearby house, made up a story about their car breaking down and convinced the good Samaritan to give them a ride, detectives learned.

Officers tracked the ride to a house in the Old Mill Estates area. They obtained a search warrant and went inside. They didn't find anyone in the home, but did recover drug paraphernalia, methamphetamine, materials to used manufacture fake IDs and fake drivers' licenses.

"It was very high quality," Broadhead said.

On Tuesday, police were called back to the same house on a report of a burglary in progress. The homeowners were out of town and neighbors were keeping an eye on the residence while they were gone, Broadhead said. The homeowners' son was at the home. It was in his room where investigators had found all the forgery and drug materials the previous day.

Kenneth Smith, 44, was arrested on outstanding warrants.

Police continued to look Wednesday for the owner of the cell phone that was recovered. They believe he is a 28-year-old man.

In another tie, detectives discovered the car that was abandoned belonged to a woman in Tooele who was fraudulently registering it. Furthermore, she called police shortly after the car was found abandoned — based on instructions from the man police are currently looking for — and reported it as stolen, Broadhead said.

When that woman showed up to claim her vehicle, she was arrested for investigation of filing a false police report, he said.

E-mail:preavy@ksl.com

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