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- An Orem man faces 30 criminal charges, including burglary, theft and drug possession after police reported finding a storage shed with items taken from around Provo, Orem and the BYU campus.
- The items seized include electric bicycles, financial cards and identification documents.
- Provo police, along with BYU and Orem law enforcement, said they recovered stolen property as well meth and heroin.
PROVO — An Orem man is facing 30 criminal charges after police say they found his storage shed was full of stolen items such as bank cards and electronic bikes that were allegedly taken from Orem, Provo and the Brigham Young University campus.
Jordan Rex Olsen, 40, was charged Thursday in 4th District Court with burglary, a third-degree felony; and theft, a class B misdemeanor. He was charged Tuesday with five counts of unlawful possession of a financial card, a third-degree felony; and four counts of unlawful use of a bank card, a class A misdemeanor; two counts of theft, a class A and a class B misdemeanor; and vehicle burglary, a class A misdemeanor.
Provo police searched Olsen's storage unit on Sept. 19 and found "the unit was full of electric bicycles, scooters and other property," according to charging documents.
Among the items recovered was a Cannondale e-bike valued at over $750 and a Black Magnum e-bike valued at over $1,500 stolen from the Stonecrest Apartments in Provo, the charges state. Golf clubs taken from the Cottages apartments in Provo were also recovered.
"BYU police seized numerous financial transaction cards, identification documents and numerous prepaid gift cards from the storage unit and (Olsen's) pickup," the charges allege. "During the search of Olsen's truck and the storage unit, officers found a bag containing two substances, later field tested as methamphetamine and heroin, as well as (drug) paraphernalia."
Tools from an off-campus apartment complex for Utah Valley University students were also recovered, according to charging documents.
Additionally, Olsen led officers to a dumpster in Orem where he had gotten rid of several items he had stolen from the BYU campus, including AirPods and a laptop by throwing them under the dumpster, the charges say. Olsen allegedly told police he did this to avoid being tracked by the "Find My Phone" app.
According to the return for one search warrant, 41 gift cards, 27 financial cards and a scooter confirmed as stolen were recovered from the storage unit. A second search warrant served on his truck states that in addition to meth and heroin, police recovered 13 identification cards, 12 W-2 tax forms that included "identification information (such) as names, addresses and other personal information" and "a stack of medical registration documents containing personal information for multiple persons."
BYU police spokeswoman Karen Ellingson says her department became involved in the multiagency investigation along with Orem and Provo police when a student reported a backpack with electronics and other items had been stolen from inside a car parked on campus that was possibly left unlocked. She said the incident is a good reminder for all students and residents not to leave valuable items in their vehicles and not to leave the doors unlocked.
"We recommend students and others on campus take steps to protect their personal property by locking vehicles and apartments or offices, use a strong lock when securing bikes and other rideables and keep personal items close when in a public setting," Ellingson said.
In five separate cases since Sept. 3, Olsen is now facing a total of 30 criminal charges, including engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity, a second-degree felony; five counts of unlawful possession of a financial card, five counts of theft, three counts of burglary and two counts of drug possession, all third-degree felonies; four counts of unlawful use of a financial card, five counts of theft and two counts of vehicle burglary, all class A misdemeanors; and two counts of theft and possession of drug paraphernalia, class B misdemeanors.
Olsen is also charged in two drug-related cases filed in late August and early September for marijuana possession and three additional counts of drug possession, third-degree felonies; and two counts of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.
