An alleged burglary ring was busted up last week by Helper law enforcement officers with the assistance of the Carbon County Sheriff’s Office and the Sandy city police.
On Jan. 3, an auto burglary was reported on Roosevelt Street. When Helper police officers investigated the complaint, they determined that a stereo, speakers and other property was missing from the vehicle.
A week later, a burglary was reported in a nearby home. Officer Lynn Archuleta received information indicating some people knew the owners would not be at the residence at the time of the incident.
The Helper city police officer subsequently located several suspects in connection with the burglary.
Arrested and booked into the Carbon County Jail on third degree felony theft and class A misdemeanor vehicle burglary charges along with class A miscellaneous crimes were 19-year-old Triston Glines, 18-year-old Carlos Manzanares and 18-year-old Donald Burge Jr.
During the interrogation, it reportedly came out that a fourth person may have been involved in the incidents and he resided in Sandy, indicated Helper Police Chief George Zamantakis.
At first, the Helper officers tried to contact the suspect in Sandy by telephone, but the effort failed.
The initial criminal investigation continued and the evidence resulted in the Helper police securing a search warrant for the suspect’s home.
On Jan. 2, the search warrant was executed at 8:40 a.m., confirmed Zamantakis. No one was at home at the time, but law enforcement officers from the three departments reportedly located several of the missing items in the suspect’s residence.
Immediately after the Helper and Carbon County officers returned to the local area, the law enforcement authorities were notified that Sandy police had arrested and detained the suspect, 20-year-old Zeke Martinez.
Sandy city police officers brought Martinez to Spanish Fork, where Helper law enforcement personnel accepted custody and transported the suspect back to the county jail.
“This whole thing was a real team effort,” said Zamantakis. “We sent three officers, Carbon County sent three officers and Sandy helped with six officers at the home in their city. The cooperation between the agencies was wonderful.”
At press time, law enforcement authorities had not located all of the items listed as missing in connection with the incidents.
Zamantakis anticipates further investigation will be conducted to see if the items can be returned.
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