A West Valley City warehouse near 2600 S. Decker Lake Blvd. was torn apart early Thursday morning by a man police say was hunting for copper wiring, leaving behind roughly $70,000 in damage before crashing his truck while trying to flee officers. Casey Steven Kalipetsis, 48, was booked into jail on a string of charges tied to the chaotic scene.
Police were called to the building at about 9:15 a.m. Thursday, according to KSL, after surveillance cameras still operating inside the vacant facility caught a man breaking in. The building had belonged to an outdoor recreation company but was recently purchased by the state and sat empty, police said, per the same report.
Smashed Windows, Gutted Breaker Boxes
Investigators believe Kalipetsis used a rock to smash a glass window to get inside. Once in, police say he went after the building's copper wiring with a vengeance, breaking every breaker box and tearing holes in walls and ceiling panels to trace the wire's path through the structure, the station's report notes. An affidavit states he used an angle grinder to cut several copper wires from the walls and ceiling but ran out of time to haul them away before officers showed up.
The damage from his rampage exceeded $70,000, per the affidavit cited by the outlet. Despite the destruction, Kalipetsis left the cut wiring behind when police arrived at the scene.
Fleeing Through Traffic, Into a Wall
When officers showed up, Kalipetsis bolted in an F-150, driving into oncoming traffic as he tried to get away, according to the same account. He eventually struck a cinderblock wall and was taken into custody, the affidavit states. After his arrest, Kalipetsis told investigators he had consumed too much bath salts and was not feeling well, per the affidavit.
Kalipetsis was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of burglary, causing property damage, failing to stop for police, reckless driving and DUI. Court records describe him as having a lengthy criminal history, and police said he has numerous theft and burglary convictions along with pending burglary charges.
Part of a Pattern in West Valley City
ABC4 reported that Christopher David Smith was charged in connection with separate copper thefts in the city that caused more than $100,000 in combined damage; Tyler David Chavis was listed as a co-defendant, but his case had not yet been filed. One of those break-ins, reported March 26, led Jordan Valley Water to estimate that only $300 worth of copper was taken even though repairs would cost more than $5,000, according to ABC4's reporting. Another burglary reported April 12 at a vacant Redwood Road building left the owner estimating roughly $90,000 in property damage, the outlet noted.
KUTV reported in an April 26, 2022, story that two unidentified men were suspected in burglaries at a closed-up business. It is not clear whether Thursday's incident is connected to those earlier cases.
