On July 15, homeowners in Ranch Place and Silver Springs woke up to five stolen or burglarized vehicles.
“A typical day, you walk out to your car and you realize, ‘Oh my gosh, I don't think I'm that messy,’ because there's some things in the front seat,” resident Chris Conabee said. “Then you realize that someone was in your car.”
Conabee had cash bank statements and a car key taken in the break-in. Others lost rock climbing gear, a ballistic vest, tools and guns, including a Glock 17, court papers say.
Two of Conabee’s neighbor’s trucks were stolen—one was found later at Willow Creek Park—and oddly enough, a new vehicle was left behind: a 2015 Honda Accord stolen in Salt Lake City. It contained stolen financial transaction cards, IDs and a library card.
Summit County prosecutors believe the heists are the work of one man: Benjamin Jordan Quaid, 26, of Salt Lake City. They charged him with four felony counts of theft and four misdemeanors for vehicle burglary and joyriding Sept. 5.
And he’s already in custody at the Salt Lake County Jail.
Court papers indicate Quaid was previously convicted of crimes in connection with three previous vehicle thefts and two vehicle burglaries around the Salt Lake Valley. The burglaries happened July 14 in Bluffdale, the same day prosecutors allege Quaid drove to Silver Springs.
A Utah Highway Patrol trooper’s affidavit says he met Quaid July 18 near 900 W. North Temple Street in Salt Lake City. While speaking with him, the trooper realized there was an active warrant for his arrest.
The trooper searched Quaid and claims to have found a Glock 17 and suspected fentanyl and methamphetamine. He was booked into jail that day.
Then Salt Lake and Summit County authorities began to connect the dots. Court papers say a Taylorsville convenience store’s security cameras show Quaid exiting the stolen Accord July 13 and using a stolen credit card inside.
In an interview with a Summit County detective, Quaid allegedly admitted to all five auto thefts and burglaries in Ranch Place and Silver Springs, case records show.
Charging documents also allege Quaid left the Accord behind because he forgot where he’d parked during the course of the other burglaries.
The handgun UHP found on his person four days later matches the serial number of the one stolen in Park City, prosecutors say.
Conabee said he and his neighbors feel a little “vulnerable” after the ordeal, but most people’s property has been recovered.
“We just really are all thankful that the police jumped on it, and our thought that we would get anything back was … very slim,” he said. “But [the police and deputies] went to work, and fortunately, found our stuff, and we're super appreciative.”
Conabee said his car was locked, and he doesn’t know how someone got into it.
Quaid is currently serving a 140-day jail sentence for the Bluffdale burglaries.
Three of the felonies he faces in Summit County carry prison sentences of one to 15 years, and other others up to five years. If convicted, Quaid could face thousands of dollars in fines, too.
An initial appearance in court at the Silver Summit Justice Center hasn’t been scheduled. The Summit County Sheriff’s Office did not say whether he’ll be transferred to the Summit County Jail.
