Cops: Orem 'burglary' an inside job — and the dog did it

Orem police rushed to the scene of a suspected burglary. It was an inside job, and they caught the thief red-pawed.

Maya, the yellow Labrador retriever, had been a very bad dog, her owner learned.

Bruce Gardner told the Daily Herald that he was at work when he received a call on his cellphone from his home phone. All he could hear was banging, scratching and other sounds.

His neighborhood has experienced a rash of recent break-ins, so he called 911.

Three Orem officers arrived at Gardner's home to find nothing amiss — just Maya, in the backyard, where Gardner had left her.

"We cleared the area and left the home," Sgt. Craig Martinez told the Herald.

However, when Gardner realized two of his home's three connected portable phones seemed to be missing, he decided to call one. He heard ringing, coming from his garden. Amid the vegetation, he found one of the missing phones, covered with teeth marks.

Bob Mims

Since then, Gardner also found he is missing a watch; he wonders what else might turn up in his garden.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims