Among some of the notable incidents reported from the Summit County Sheriff’s Department, deputies are reporting that some car vandals are aiming at a new target.
The Sheriff’s office reported that during two separate incidents in recent weeks, catalytic converters have been stolen off vehicles.
On October 30th, a motorist left his vehicle at the Rail/Trail parking lot in Wanship while he went hunting from the early morning to mid-afternoon. When he came back and started the vehicle, he heard a loud roar from his exhaust—a tell-tale sign the catalytic device was gone.
About a week later, on November 8th, a shuttle company in lower Silver Creek reported the converter had been stolen off one of their buses that was left out overnight. Deputies were getting surveillance video and they report the suspects may have been driving a pickup with a long flatbed trailer.
Sheriff's Lt. Andrew Wright said that, from talking to a relative who is an auto mechanic, he’s heard that stealing a catalytic converter isn’t an easy operation.
“He said that it is very difficult for someone if they don’t take off other parts of the vehicle, to get to that catalytic converter. And so they usually will use a cutting torch or some sort of a tool, a power saw, to cut it out. And they’re very expensive to replace. They can cost someone—not to mention the damage that it does getting the whole system replaced. So pretty brazen for someone to—and I understand that people that know what they’re doing are usually pretty quick at doing this even though it is difficult.”
He said the report from the shuttle company is it will cost $1000 to replace their converter.
Lt. Wright said it’s likely the same suspect or suspects are behind both incidents, since thefts of the converters rarely take place. He said a third incident was reported recently.
Meanwhile, a different kind of theft was reported at Wal-Mart in late October. A male suspect returned merchandise for a cash refund. The items were supposedly 8 packages of “Magic the Gathering” trading cards. But when the packages were opened, they were full of rocks. The items taken were valued at $168.
On another front, deputies responded early Saturday morning, the 9th, at about 2:45, when a car full of juveniles crashed in the middle of the Silver Springs neighborhood.
The driver, a 16-year-old Park City boy, admitted he was driving some 40 to 60 MPH in a 25 MPH zone. He was unable to negotiate a curve, left the roadway and struck a power box. He was cited and released to a guardian.
One of the passengers, a 15-year-old male, fled the scene on foot, but was located and was taken to a Salt Lake hospital with a neck injury. Two girls were in the vehicle, and one of them was also transported with a concussion and cuts to her head.
Finally, on Saturday night, a husband called officers to a Kimball Junction hotel to help his wife, due to a medical episode—and the man wound up being arrested.
The man reported that his wife had taken a couple of drinks and he feared she had alcohol poisoning, since she was screaming and throwing items.
However, officers at the scene found that the husband was under a court protective order, directing that he was to have no contact with his wife. The husband, a 38-year-old resident of Helper, was arrested. The woman, identified as a 43-year-old Pleasant Grove resident, was transported to Park City Medical Center
