Orem pair are getting a reputation for crime

OREM — They're not quite Bonnie and Clyde, but Ira Walker and Christy Carson have earned a notorious reputation in Utah County after being accused of a string of recent vehicle thefts and other crimes.

Walker and Carson's latest arrest came Sunday night in Lindon, when police officers making a traffic stop say they found several stolen items in Walker's car. An investigation led police to two vehicles, a trailer and a .22-caliber rifle that had been reported stolen in Orem.

But hours later, Walker had posted a $2,500 bond to get out of the Utah County Jail, and officers who arrived at the jail to recommend additional charges found him already gone.

Lindon police suspect he may have immediately stolen another vehicle Monday morning just after bailing out of jail.

It's a familiar pattern for Walker, 32, and Carson, 26, both of Orem, who were in 4th District Court just last week facing various theft and drug charges. The week before, they missed a court date because they had been arrested that same day in Provo in connection with yet another vehicle theft.

Pleasant Grove Police Capt. Mike Smith said Walker and Carson "have been on everybody's radar around here."

"They've really been a thorn in our side," Smith said. "Unfortunately, (judges) keep giving them bondable bail amounts, and they keep getting back out on the street."

Walker and Carson are scheduled to be back in court on Monday to face multiple charges, including allegedly making hundreds of dollars of purchases with a stolen bank card. They are also charged in an alleged burglary in Saratoga Springs.

In all, Walker has been charged with 15 felonies this year alone, and Carson has been charged with three, in addition to a multitude of misdemeanors for both.

But for now they are free. Police are fed up.

"It's very frustrating," said Orem Police Sgt. Craig Martinez. "Unfortunately, we can't dictate what the courts do. Each day they're out of jail, somebody is getting victimized."

"(Walker) is one of those people basically everyone in the (police) department knows," Martinez said. "If people see him running around the neighborhood, they should know he's probably up to no good."

"We book him into jail, and the next day he's out," said Lindon Police Sgt. Doug Eastman. "More cases keep coming in, and it takes us days if not weeks to track them down."

And Eastman said he believes Carson is "just as involved" in the alleged crimes.

"They're terrorizing the whole north end of the county," Eastman said. "People are feeling violated. We do our job, we put them in jail, and they end up getting out. I don't know what to do."