LOCAL NEWS

Thieves Drill Through Door Handles To Access Locked Cars At Davis County Trailheads

Jul 12, 2019, 6:16 PM | Updated: 9:01 pm

LAYTON, Utah – Investigators in Davis County are looking into two cases where people were able to break into locked vehicles at trailheads without leaving much of a trace.

Davis County Sheriff’s Office Chief Deputy Susan Poulsen said a hiker at the Fernwood Recreation Site left her vehicle locked at the trailhead around 10:00 Tuesday morning. Her purse was out of sight in the vehicle. Nothing seemed amiss when she returned to the vehicle.

“Didn’t notice it until she got home and started going through her purse and realized there were some things missing – her cash, her credit card, debit card,” Poulsen said. “Other things had been gone through, but put back in place, such as her ID and things like that,”

Whoever stole the items from the woman’s vehicle had drilled a hole through the door handle, disabling the lock and, apparently, the alarm. A hiker at nearby Adams Canyon reported another incident where someone drilled through their door handle Tuesday as well.

“Keeps things quiet and potentially buys that time that they are looking for to go out and be able to use those cards,” Poulsen said.

Poulsen has been with the sheriff’s office for more than 20 years. Smash-and-grab thefts at trailheads are not uncommon, but this method, she said, is something new.

“This method of entry is something that I was not aware of and other colleagues have not seen this method as well. This is definitely something to keep in mind for people,” she said.

The best thing to do when hiking, Poulsen said, is to not leave any valuables in your vehicle, locked or not.

“Throw it in your hiking pack, your pocket, your pants, whatever you’ve got. It’s just the only real safe way to keep it,” she said.

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Thieves Drill Through Door Handles To Access Locked Cars At Davis County Trailheads