650 Stolen Identities, One Award-Winning Investigation

Congratulations to our Property Crimes Unit for their Unit Citation Award from Chief Robertson!

This award goes to teams that go above and beyond the call of duty, taking care of residents with care and dedication. This medal is awarded to divisions or units in the department for bravery or outstanding service accomplished by its members functioning as a team.

Chief Robertson presented the Property Crimes Unit, Sgt. Richards, Det. Wheiler, Det. Maynes, Sgt. Hutchings, Det. Behunin, Det. Lee and Det. Karadeema, with the Unit Citation Award for a job well done.

650 victims, many of them West Jordan residents, had mail and credit cards stolen. The culprit victimized residents for many years, and the West Jordan Property Crimes team finally put a stop to it.

Det. Wheiler found the credit card thief in Wendover in 2024 after a victim reported missing mail. After getting a warrant and searching the suspect's home, over where they found hundreds of pieces of evidence were found, from mailbox keys, credit cards and marijuana.

The West Jordan department spent hours gathering and sorting through the evidence, sorting them into piles of victims and finding contact information for every single one.

The incredible size of the case attracted the attention of the U.S. Attorneys Office and led to felony charges.

Thanks to this team, these victims have found peace and security.

The Property Crimes Unit helps everyone from big business fraud to crimes against vulnerable adults, small business theft and everything in between.

"Make sure you are checking your mail daily," Sgt. Richards said, encouraging everyone to be self-aware. If something happens to your cards and mail, report it and find a solution. "Make sure you are paying attention to things that are supposed to show up. If it doesn't show up, you need to contact your institutions about missing cards."

Thank you to the Property Crimes Unit for looking out for the big and small in our city!

By Erin Dixon