This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Utah County sheriff's deputies arrested a man and woman after allegedly catching the couple in the act of burglarizing a Payson-area home.
Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said Thursday that the arrests of the Santaquin man, 31, and his purported accomplice, a 29-year-old woman from Orem, came after an alert citizen reported a suspicious pickup parked near the vacant home on Tuesday.
Deputies, along with a Payson police officer, responded. The deputies found the woman behind the wheel, talking on her cell phone.
"The female was contacted and found to have possession of stolen property which included jewelry and cameras," Cannon said. "It was learned that the male ... had been inside a residence committing a burglary."
The male suspect fled into a field and attempted to hide when he spotted officers, but was subsequently found and arrested.
The male then led police to a spot where he had hidden items stolen from the home, as well as another residence.
"A wedding ring, a wedding band, class ring, jewelry, cameras and miscellaneous cash were taken," Cannon said. "The property recovered at the scene has been returned to the owners. [Stolen] prescription medications including Lortab, Xanax and Percocet were [also] located."
Both suspects, wanted on active federal warrants, were booked into Utah County jail and were being held without bail. The male was booked on suspicion of two counts of burglary of a residence, attempted burglary of a residence, two counts of theft and possession of a controlled substance. The female suspect was being held on suspicion of burglary, attempted burglary, theft, driving on a suspended license and possession of a controlled substance.
The pair also were being investigated for possible links to other Utah County burglaries, Cannon said.