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Show 5-16-15 Weber burglary yictim frustrated [I handed this guy to them on a silver platter,' but cops say evidence insufficient By ANDREAS RIVERA Standard-Examiner staff MARRIOTT- msmess owner is un- lappy and frustrated because his shop was burglarized and he was able o locate a suspect through social media — but police have not made an arrest. However, police say they are doing everything to resolve the man's case. Lee Montoya, owner Security footage from Affordable Sandblasting in Marriot-Slaterville shows a green truck driving off with ' See BURGLARY, Page 5A Lee Montoya's property. SEEVIDEO J ONLINE "'www.standard.net Burglary of Affordable Sandblasting in Marriott-Slaterville, says his business was burglarized Easter morning. Security footage shows a truck pull up to the shop and a man approach Montoya's trailer, which is parked behind the building. The man is seen breaking into the trailer and hauling a number of things, including an expensive bicy-' cle, to his truck. The bicycle — a green, '70s Schwinn that Montoya restored — was meant to be a birthday gift for Montoya's son, a special- needs child with autism. Other stolen items include tools, equipment, golf clubs and fishing gear, all totaling about $5,000, Montoya said. "It's just makes me sick, some person breaking in and taking my son's gift," he said. . After contacting police about the incident, Montoya was determined to find the person who stole his son's bike, so he posted a description of the suspect's truck on Facebook and offered a $500 reward. About a week later, Montoya received word that the truck suspected of being involved in the burglary was at the Millstream Motel in Ogden. He called Ogden police, and officers met him at the motel and confronted the truck's owner. , The man claimed to know nothing about a burglary and that he had laned his truck to a friend the previous week. Montoya found several of his stolen items inside the truck, as well as other things he thought were suspicious for the man to have in his flatbed: a welder, generator, skill saw and other expensive equipment. The man also mentioned seeing a green bicycle in the back of the truck when it was returned to him. Montoya claims the man may have been carrying narcotics in a small plastic container in the truck, but said officers didn't examine any further. The officers then went to where the man lived until being recently evicted. There, they found even more of Montoya's stolen items, but the bike was still missing, Montoya said. "Then they let him ago, didn't arrest him," Montoya said. "It blew me away." The man was released and Montoya's stolen property was taken in as evidence. Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Lane Findlay said officers did not have enough probable cause to arrest the man for knowingly possessing stolen property. Also, the officers' report did not mention finding any drugs. "In this case, they just didn't have enough proof that the guy knew he was carrying stolen goods," Findlay said. Montoya said the detective in his case told him officers were still working on leads and gathering evidence to build a good case against the suspect. "A good case? What more do you need? I handed this guy to them on a silver platter," Montoya said. Utah State Law states that a person can be charged with possession of stolen property when the person know it's stolen. The belief that a person knows something is stolen can be determined by factors including if the person has a history of possessing stolen goods, according to the Utah Criminal Code. Pawnbrokers are required to obtain proof of legal ownership of the items they acquire, along with identification of the seller. Findlay said he understands Montoya's frustration, but the individual officers encountered did not meet the criteria for booking on any charges. Other details from police weren't immediately available because the case is still under investigation, but officers say they are still working to bring the suspect to justice and find the bicycle that is intended to be a gift for Montoya's son. "I just don't understand it. They had the truck that was used, they had my stolen stuff, other people's stolen stuff," Montoya said. "Just seems like lazy police work." Contact reporter Andreas Rivera at 801-625-4227 or arivera@stan- dard.net. Follow him on Twitter at @SE_Andreas. |
