Authorities in Utah arrested a 35-year-old homeless man accused of stealing garage doors and then installing them in other people's homes. An officer pulled over Justin Thomas Strasburg after receiving reports of suspicious activity at a construction site in the town of Herriman.
Strasburg was driving a Penske truck with invalid license plates, and officers found $1,500 worth of stolen garage door components. He was taken into custody and released on bail. He told them he used to work for a company that installs garage doors and admitted to stealing garages doors in multiple cities.
A week later, the Utah County Sheriff's Office received a tip about Strasburg's alleged scheme and put together a sting operation. A detective contacted Strasburg pretending to be a client and set up an appointment. Strasburg was pulled over in a U-haul on his way to meet the undercover officer.
Strasburg tried to flee in the truck, but after a brief chase, he was taken into custody.
"During an interview, Strasburg admitted to the Sheriff's Office Detective that he was responsible for eight different thefts where he stole garage doors and openers in Vineyard and Eagle Mountain. He also told the Detective the garage door he had planned on installing for him he had stolen earlier from a home in West Valley City," Utah County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Spencer Cannon wrote in the arrest affidavit.
Investigators have connected Strasburg to at least eight thefts in six different cities. He is facing multiple charges and is being held in the Utah County Jail on a $71,000 bond.
Photo: Utah County Jail