Series of Campus crimes
The person responsible for the thousands of dollars in burglaries that took place on campus last spring semester was caught.
According to campus police officer James Prettyman, police caught Ryan Smith, a student and resident of the Aaron Jones Apartment complex at the time, in Lehi, Utah. Smith was pulled over for a routine traffic stop on I-15. The authorities were suspicious when they found several expensive looking products in the back seat of Smith’s car, matching a description sent out by the College of Eastern Utah campus police.
This archived article was written by: Tylor Christmas
The person responsible for the thousands of dollars in burglaries that took place on campus last spring semester was caught.
According to campus police officer James Prettyman, police caught Ryan Smith, a student and resident of the Aaron Jones Apartment complex at the time, in Lehi, Utah. Smith was pulled over for a routine traffic stop on I-15. The authorities were suspicious when they found several expensive looking products in the back seat of Smith’s car, matching a description sent out by the College of Eastern Utah campus police.
Police then cross referenced the serial numbers of the merchandise with those of the stolen ones and found a the items reported stolen were in the car. However, the police were able to reposes most of it. This most recent return has increased CEU’s return rate of stolen items to about 72 percent. Almost a five percent increase from the previous 67 percent.
Last winter, there were 10 reported break-ins at the Aaron Jones apartment complex. Many of the victims admitted to leaving thier doors unlocked, while a few claimed that their doors were definitely locked. So as to whether Smith used force to break in is still an uncertainty. Prettyman said that Smtih stole laptops, ipods, cell phones, gaming systems and an assortment of various frivolous items. The campus police took every possible action to return the stolen items, including sending a description of all of the stolen merchandise to local and state agencies and even pawn shops to maximize the chances of any of the items being recognized.
The police had no leads at the time. Despite the fact that Smith entered and exited a room that he did not live in, carrying with him expensive merchandise, no one reported any suspicious activity, Prettyman stated. However, one off-campus break-in was looked into but proved to be unconnected. While the robberies were still going on, campus police checked students’ doors at night to make certain they were locked. Despite all of the robberies, many or the students’ apartments were left unlocked and unattended.
It was the worst series of burglaries officer James Prettyman has seen in 12 years he told the Sun Advocate. Many residents of Price don’t believe this sort of thing happens in rural utah. Unfortunately, it does. According to officer Jeff Wood, crime is sporadic here on campus. While the police can go for weeks without getting a call, and sometimes, they can get 10 calls in a week.
Law enforcment is only as effective as the people it is protecting, Prettyman stated. In order to prevent this from happening to you, please, lock your door whenever you leave and report any suspicious activity to the campus police force immediately.
