Man arrested in burglary

Police believe he was involved in ransacking of Lehi business

SANDY — A man was apprehended Tuesday night after a search in southeast Sandy.

Police spent the night looking for a 30-year-old man they believe was involved in a Lehi burglary on Sunday.

Lehi Police Sgt. Jeff Swenson said police identified the man from evidence at the scene of the burglary. Lehi detectives and Sandy police tracked him to a Sandy home.

The police saw him drive by and a chase ensued, Swenson said.

Officers chased him until he abandoned his car and fled on foot. Several police dogs were brought in to aid in the search.

The man was described as 5 feet 8 inches tall, 150 pounds with light brown hair and hazel eyes. He was wearing a blue baseball hat and a jacket.

Police believe the man was involved in the ransacking of a Lehi heating and cooling company and the theft of a safe from the business. Thieves damaged several neighboring businesses while attempting to crack it open.

The alarm at Holmes Heating, 701 E. State, failed to go off when the burglars entered the business, Swenson said. Police received the call about 2:30 a.m. Monday.

Burglars left overturned tables, destroyed files and broken walls and doors in their wake. The thieves stole a truck from the business, hooked a chain to the safe and attempted to pull it out of the damaged walls. Failing that, they stole a forklift from a construction site on I-15 and used it to remove the safe.

Damage was estimated at $40,000 at that business.

The safe contained an undisclosed amount of cash and guns from the owner's collection. Six businesses were damaged or burglarized. Total damage could run as high as $150,000, Swenson said. The pickup truck was recovered a short distance away.

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