Horse Reported Stolen Found In West Valley; Police Investigating Theft
Jul 20, 2020, 10:48 PM | Updated: 11:49 pm
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah — A horse that was reported stolen last week was recovered by police early Monday and is now back with its owners.
Jayme Alexander said she received a call at 1:30 a.m. that officers had found 11-year-old Tiempo.
“(They) said, ‘we’ve got your horse!’” Alexander said. “’Come pick him up!’”
Tiempo disappeared on Sunday, July 12, from Alexander’s property near 2800 South and 1400 West.
“(I) couldn’t find him and after a couple of trips around (I) found where the fence had been cut,” Alexander said. “They had to undo the wire panels and then come cut the fence 15 times.”
Alexander said after her Facebook post received more than 2,000 shares, someone messaged her Sunday with an important clue — photos of a horse that looked like Tiempo in another area of town.
“He was being ridden out on 3500 South and 5600 West,” Alexander said.
Alexander said she searched the area herself and didn’t find the horse, but police told her they had located Tiempo after the people apparently in the photos contacted investigators.
“They said that he was on KSL(.com) for $750, they paid for him, the person delivered him from Plain City,” Alexander said.
Alexander said several parts of the story didn’t seem to add up, including the price.
Good news to report tonight in West Valley, where a horse that was reported stolen last week is back with his owners. What we know about where he was and how he was found, @KSL5TV at 10p #KSLTV #Utah pic.twitter.com/yjSQ0083i8
— Andrew Adams (@AndrewAdamsKSL) July 21, 2020
Tiempo is valued at somewhere between $8,000 to $10,000, she said.
West Valley City Police Department spokesperson Roxeanne Vainuku only said detectives were looking further into the story and the circumstances surrounding the horse’s disappearance.
Alexander said she had feared Tiempo had met one of the worst-case scenarios.
“We were worried that he had maybe been shipped out of state, he’d been shipped down to Mexico, he’d been slaughtered and eaten,” Alexander said.
She said Tiempo was like a family member and she was glad he was home.
“Oh, we’re so happy to have him back!” Alexander said. “He’s happy to be back!”