Rate Of Car Burglaries Triple In Box Elder County

BRIGHAM CITY, Utah – The number of car burglaries and thefts are way up in Box Elder County, and some believe it’s all thanks to a group – or groups – of juveniles who have been doing the same thing in neighborhoods in Weber County.

Brigham City Police logged 47 car burglaries in their city over the summer, with 7 car thefts. Around the county, the Sheriff’s Office says numbers are way up too, with more than a dozen burglaries in one particular night.

“People (are) leaving their doors unlocked,” said Lieutenant Chris Howard. “We believe it’s groups are coming through, just going through the cars, taking anything they can find, from loose cash, money, we’ve had a firearm stolen.”

Vernon Mortensen said his wife’s car was taken from their driveway about a month ago. It showed up again recently, severely vandalized.

“(They) smashed a digital display in the car, and cut the leather seats, just belligerent stuff,” Mortensen said. “I think anyone would think that it’s totaled.”

Investigators with the Box Elder County Sheriff’s Office are working with law enforcement agencies in Weber County. Chief Deputy Dale Ward says they believe the culprits may be a same group of juveniles who have been burglarizing and stealing cars in the Ogden area.

“Right now, it looks like they’re operating possibly out of stolen vehicles,” Ward said. “We don’t normally have streaks of burglaries like this. We’ll have one here or there.”

Out of his own frustrations for wanting fight back himself, Mortensen says he discovered thousands of other homeowners in Box Elder and Weber Counties who want to work together; both through neighborhood watch programs, and sharing information and surveillance videos, on Facebook groups.

“The think that has everyone in the area frustrated is that for whatever reason, once these guys are captured and arrested, they’re not detained for any significant length of time at all,” Mortensen said.