East Salt Lake City couple surprise, detain alleged burglar

An east Salt Lake City couple surprised a burglar on their front porch and then detained him until police arrived.

Salt Lake City police Detective Veronica Montoya said the drama played out just before 8 p.m. Wednesday when the woman returned to her home near 1200 East and 700 South, pulled into her driveway and spotted the man on a bicycle.

When asked what he was doing on the property, he quickly left. Moments later, however, she and her husband spotted the suspect getting out of a neighbor's vehicle, having taken $3 from inside. He dropped the money when the couple confronted him.

The couple called 911 and held 6-foot-1, 149-pound white male suspect down on the ground until police took him into custody.

According to a probable cause statement, the suspect admitted to police that he stole the cash from the car and also had taken the bicycle he was riding from a shed nearby earlier in the evening.

Court records show the suspect was on probation for earlier guilty pleas to felony counts of robbery and drug possession. He was booked into the Salt Lake County jail on new charges of vehicle burglary, trespassing and possession of paraphernalia.

The suspect was being held without bail on orders from Utah Adult Probation and Parole.

remims@sltrib.com

Twitter: @remims