Summit County Sheriff’s Lt. Andrew Wright said deputies received a call early Sunday afternoon that someone had gone on a hike from the East Canyon Creek Trailhead and when they came back, their SUV was gone. The East Canyon Creek Trailhead is on the eastern end of Jeremy Ranch near the water treatment plant and behind Jeremy Ranch Elementary School.
“While our deputies were there taking a report on that, they noticed that there were vehicles that had been broken into and so they ended up taking multiple reports, not only of the vehicle theft, but auto burglaries. People had broken into these vehicles that had been parked there as well,” Wright said.
According to a report from the Sheriff’s Office, there was another string of burglaries that same afternoon at a different popular trailhead one exit away on Interstate 80. The report says the cases are likely related.
The report says multiple cars were broken into near the Summit Park trailhead on Matterhorn Drive. Two vehicles had windows broken, and losses included one purse. Wright said it appears the cases are linked because they both occurred at trailheads in close proximity at around the same time.
He said the Sheriff’s Office doesn’t consider any of the trailheads in the area unsafe, but added that there are common-sense precautions he hopes people will take that can deter crime.
“It doesn't matter where you are, you have to take valuables out of your vehicle,” Wright said. “If you're at a trailhead and you have valuables in there, put them in the trunk, lock them in your glove box if it's a small enough item and there's a lock on it. But don't leave stuff in plain view for someone, a criminal specifically, obviously, in this case, to come and look inside your vehicle. They go ‘Oh, there's something of value.’ They pop out a window, take your items and leave.”
Wright also reminded people not to leave cars unlocked and not to leave their car keys in or near their vehicle.
