Since June the Cedar City Police Department has been trying to find the answers to a number of vehicles burglaries in the 300 West 1425 North area. Thanks to a finger print they found their answer.
The Iron County Sheriff's Office crime scene investigation team told detectives at the police department that they a finger print that they found at the scene matched a 17-year-old juvenile that had links to some of their burglaries investigations, said Det. Nate Williams of the Cedar City Police Department. Officials say finding a finger print is a great assets to the investigation.
"Finger print evidence in itself is extremely important if you can find it," Williams said. When people touch things, their finger prints are left behind and based on that finger print officials can match to what is in their data base. he said.
By finding the finger print authorities were able to link the juveniles to an estimated 160 different vehicles burglaries. Once authorities interviewed the 17-year-old male, he confessed to more burglaries that were unsolved at the time, Williams, said.
The juveniles were familiar with with the 300 West area mostly breaking into unlock cars taking ipods, cameras, cigarettes, loose change and cell phones.
"All of these kids were looking unlocked vehicles," he said. Officials have also had problems with people looking into a vehicles seeing a purse or other expensive things and they will break the window and take it, Williams said. "If its something that they want bad enough they will find away to take it," he said.
The 17-year-old juvenile is being charged with burglary of a vehicle and theft of property.