Vape And Nicotine Burglaries Striking Utah County Convenience Stores, Police On Lookout

LEHI, Utah (KUTV) — A string of convenience store burglaries targeting vape and tobacco products has struck Utah County, with several police agencies investigating numerous break-ins across Lehi, American Fork, and Cedar Hills communities.

Police officials said they suspect some of the cases are related.

A manager at Lee’s Roundup in Lehi, one of the targeted locations, said his store was hit about two weeks after their American Fork counterpart.

Suzanne Cates, watching surveillance footage of her family’s store being burglarized, expresses her frustration, noting that similar incidents occurred at three stations in four days.

“In each instance, again, it’s the vape products, tobacco,” Lehi police Sgt. Levi Lewis said. “Every time. It’s just specifically the nicotine products that they’re going after.”

In March, American Fork police successfully apprehended suspects in a Lee’s Roundup burglary.

“We found out that a vehicle was stolen up in the north area of American Fork, kind of next to a (juvenile) group home”, Lt. Ryan Archuleta said.

He said police caught the young culprits quickly, but the burglaries didn’t stop. Two weeks later, the Lehi Lee’s Roundup store was hit, this time by a masked thief.

Lewis said that the Lee’s burglaries might not be connected. However, all incidents share a common thread – the thieves are all young and targeting nicotine products consistently.

In addition to the American Fork and Lehi thefts, Harts Gas Station in Cedar Hills and another convenience store in Saratoga Springs fell victim to similar burglaries.

Police urge community members to be on the lookout and report any suspicious activity in the early morning hours. They also ask that parents keep an eye out for teens with tobacco or vaping products that may have been stolen.