Two suspects arrested for burglarizing building under construction, connected to stolen vehicles
Oct 11, 2022, 4:07 PM | Updated: Oct 12, 2022, 5:30 am
(Utah County Sheriff's Office)
UTAH COUNTY, Utah — A man and a woman are accused of a string of vehicle thefts in Utah County after deputies witnessed them burglarizing a Vasa Fitness Saturday night.
Dana Leigh Conley, 45, and Matthey Allan Rushton, 42, of Salt Lake City, were booked into the Utah County Jail on one count of felony burglary, one count of misdemeanor theft and three felony counts of possession of a stolen vehicle.
On the Aug. 23 security footage, two suspects, with a possible third, were seen entering the Sunset Storage in Eagle Mountain with an unlicensed pickup truck and stealing a trailer, according to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.
Before entering the business, a nearby gas station security footage caught a woman exiting the suspect’s pickup, entering the gas station and purchasing some items.
This collection of security videos shows the man and woman entering the storage yard, driving around, then leaving with the trailer they stole. If you recognize them or the pickup, call Central Utah Dispatch at (801)794-3970 and ask to speak to a Deputy. 2/2 pic.twitter.com/e4roRb2lAq
— Utah County Sheriff (@UCSO) September 1, 2022
According to the sheriff’s office, after posting security footage of the suspects on Aug. 31, a concerned citizen told police that they knew the woman from the video.
Police were able to identify Conley and Rushton from the tip and began surveilling them.
On Saturday night, detectives witnessed Rushton getting out of a pickup at an under-construction Vasa Fitness on 1320 N. Redwood Road in Saratoga Springs while Conley stayed in the car.
“Rushton entered and left the building several times,” read the Utah County Sheriff’s Office statement. “On one time coming out, he was carrying property he was not carrying when he entered the building.”
Rushton got back into the truck and began to drive away. A sheriff’s office sergeant performed a traffic stop without issue and arrested them.
@UCSO Detectives caught Matthew Rushton & Dana Conley burglarizing a VASA Fitness under construction in @saratogasprngut. Both were involved in the theft of an RV from a storage facility in @eaglemtncity on 8/23. Three other trailers were also recovered. https://t.co/BvwmS4VY0X pic.twitter.com/NWttzBCseC
— Utah County Sheriff (@UCSO) October 10, 2022
“During interviews, Conley admitted to being in the same truck on Aug. 23 when she and Rushton stole the trailer from a storage facility in Eagle Mountain,” according to the police statement. “She also told the detective she was involved with Rushton in the theft of two utility trailers and other property.”
Police found a stolen RV, three other trailers, and other stolen property in a remote area of Utah County near Holdaway Canyon, valued at approximately $70,000.
Conley told police she didn’t know about the fourth trailer.
Neither suspect was employed and Rushton has prior convictions in Utah, including vehicle theft, weapon possession by a restricted person, theft, drug, assault and other charges, according to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office.