Police car stolen, set on fire in Ogden

OGDEN — An unmarked law enforcement vehicle was stolen and torched Tuesday morning.

Ogden police received a call of a car on fire in the 3300 block of Lincoln Avenue about 2 a.m., said Ogden Police Lt. Scott Sangberg.

When officers arrived, they found a fully engulfed vehicle. After the fire was out and police began looking through the burned car, they found a police radio, shackles and other items that indicated it was an unmarked police car, he said.

After checking the license plate, detectives discovered the car belonged to Adult Probation and Parole and was supposed to be at Collision Centerz in the 3500 block of Wall Avenue. Officers went to the auto repair shop and found the back gate smashed down from the inside out, Sangberg said. The person who stole the vehicle apparently drove it two blocks, then set it on fire.

"It gutted the car. It was completely destroyed," he said.

There were no weapons in the car before it was stolen, and nothing appeared to be taken before it was torched, Sangberg said.

Investigators were looking Tuesday at whether the person who took the car knew he was stealing a police vehicle. Sangberg said detectives had some "good leads" in the case.

— Pat Reavy