COTTONWOOD HEIGHTS, Utah (ABC 4 News) - Police are searching for a man they believe carried out the well-planned burglary of a Cottonwood Heights T.J. Maxx store at 6995 South 1300 East.
According to Sgt. Mark Askerlund with the Cottonwood Police Department, soon after they released surveillance video of the burglary, they received several tips leading to a person named Roderick Wade. Wade is an ex-convict with a long criminal history involving burglary, according to investigators.
Police haven't named Wade as a suspect yet, but they are calling him a person of interest. They say he's been convicted of burglarizing numerous stores in Utah and other states. "He uses several aliases, maybe upwards of 10 or 11 aliases," said Sgt. Askerlund.
Askerlund says Wade's mode of operation matches that of the T.J. Maxx burglary. He adds that whoever carried out the burglary knew what they were doing and had an elaborate plan in place. When the store was burglarized on September 15, the burglar broke through the roof, dropped into the office, and drilled open a safe to steal the contents inside. They also disabled the alarm system and video cameras, but apparently missed the one detail that would identify them: the video was being recorded on a back-up sever at an off-site location.
Police believe Wade has left the state and could be in Texas, California, Ohio, or Arizona where he has a criminal history. He was last seen driving a gold 2006 Chevy Impala. Police ask that anyone with tips or information call (801) 840-4000.
