SANDY, Utah — Police say they have arrested a man for placing homemade devices on streets in the Sandy area that deflated drivers' tires.
Unified Police said several people reported severe tire damage from a homemade deflation device placed on the road. These devices, made of cardboard with nails protruding through black duct tape, have been found around neighborhoods — largely in White City, a township within Sandy's boundaries but not part of its jurisdiction.
UPD confirmed to FOX 13 News on Tuesday that they arrested 46-year-old Tristan Fisher on charges of criminal mischief and disorderly conduct. Fisher is a resident of White City.
The suspect's motive is not yet known.
"There's vandalism. We've had two of our cars get nails in the tires,” said Renee Christensen. "I was surprised that the neighbor two houses down the street had the same experience.”
Jared Kinder had a flat tire over the weekend.
"I had heard about it, I thought, 'Oh, doesn’t happen to me,'” he said. “Until I drive away and then, 'Thup, thup, thup,' I had to pull over and check, and sure enough.”
On Sunday morning, Kinder found a piece of cardboard with five nails on it, lodged into the tire. He said that when he went to the tire shop, they couldn’t patch the leak because there were too many nails too close to each other.
"They do blend in quite well with the road, and so it’s very hard for people to see them,” explained UPD Sgt. Aymee Race.
White City sent out a community notice, telling people that the devices have been damaging tires and reminding them to be careful.
The notice also advises people to report any cases to police and to check security cameras to see if they caught anything that could help with the investigation.
"We sent one of our own officers to investigate and they located several devices in this area in White City, which is around the Violet Street area,” added Sgt. Race.
Kinder said actions like these can lead to "safety issues, distrust, the time it takes just to get tires mounted, the unexpected scheduling disruption."
Residents hope the person making and leaving these is found so things can go back to normal soon.
"I do look at my tires more than I did before,” said Christensen.
Anyone with information is asked to contact UPD at the non-emergency line: 801-840-4000.
