AMERICAN FORK, Utah, July 5, 2020 (Gephardt Daily) — A Pleasant Grove woman was arrested after allegedly burglarizing an American Fork surgery center five times in one month.
A probable cause statement from Utah County said Brittney Oliver, 41, is facing charges of:
- Five counts of burglary, a third-degree felony
- Criminal mischief, a class B misdemeanor
On June 29, officers with the American Fork Police Department responded to a local medical surgery center on a report of a burglary in progress, the statement said. It was reported to police that a woman was in the surgery center and “getting into” the narcotic cabinet, the statement said.
“Officers arrived and set up a perimeter and ultimately entered the building when a building representative showed up on scene,” the statement said. “Officers made announcements for anyone in the building to make themselves known. Brittney Oliver ultimately surrendered to officers and was taken into custody without incident.”
Officers and detectives had been working on multiple similar cases involving an unknown suspect entering the building and getting access to the narcotic cabinet, the statement said. Officers had responded and documented four prior incidents within the month of June. Due to the increasing number of incidents involving stolen narcotics from the cabinet, a camera was placed by the medical center staff, which ultimately led to officers locating Oliver in the building.
On the first reported burglary, it was reported that $824.67 worth of narcotics and medicine were taken from the surgery center and a crash cart located in the building, the statement said. No forced entry was found, and there was no damage to any portion of the building.
On the second reported burglary, it was reported that $453.64 worth of narcotics and medicine were taken from the surgery center, the statement said. The narcotics were kept in a locked cabinet and on closer inspection, the latch was bent inward which caused the door to not close properly. There was again no forced entry located on the building and it was unknown how the suspect entered.
On the third reported burglary, it was reported that two doors totaling $300 were damaged, but no narcotics or medicines were taken. It appeared the suspect damaged the two doors to get to where the narcotics were previously kept, the statement said. There was no forced entry to the outer doors and no video surveillance.
On the fourth reported burglary, a camera was placed and got a photo of the suspect. The suspect was wearing a mask and a beanie and could not be identified. During this reported burglary, the suspect took some miscellaneous items and was not able to gain access to the narcotics.
After the suspect was apprehended on June 29, and after being read her Miranda rights, Oliver stated she found a hammer in a tool box inside the business and used it to damage the doors, attempting to gain access to a room labeled “Anesthetics.”
“Brittney admitted she knew she was unlawfully entering the building, and had the intent to steal narcotics to assist her in committing suicide,” the statement said. “Brittney admitted she had burglarized the business on several other occasions with the same intent. She advised she did not take anything this time, due to her inability of finding any narcotics.
“Brittney was further questioned about the previous occasions and confirmed all previous burglaries were committed by her.”
Oliver admitted to pulling on an outside door with enough force that the door would open. This was confirmed with officers on scene who also opened the door by pulling it open without the locking mechanism being disengaged.
Oliver has no criminal history and no warrants; she was transported to Utah County Jail with her bail set at $5,000.
