Jay Lerwill says his country store has been robbed or burglarized one time too many, and he's not going to take it anymore.
Lerwill has owned the Cedar Valley Country Store, 149 S. 200 East, for four years and up until recently had never had a problem. But during a six-week stretch in April and May, the store was robbed or burglarized four times - including two times in one week. Even after insurance payments, the heists left Lerwill operating almost $2,500 in the red.The latest incident occurred about 11 p.m. May 26 when three youths kicked in the store's front door and began loading items into their truck. Lerwill had installed a motion-detection type of silent alarm that went off. Hurrying from his house next door, he got into his vehicle and attempted to follow the youths, who headed east toward the Utah County-Tooele County border.
He cornered and confronted the suspects, as did his daughter, who had followed both vehicles. The youths then assaulted Lerwill with open-end wrenches. He held them off until his daughter could escape, and the fight then moved to a nearby campground after the youths had a tire blowout.
Two campers aided Lerwill, who held the youths at bay until Lehi police and Utah County deputy sheriffs arrived at the scene. Lerwill suffered cuts and bruises to the head, including one cut that required 10 stitches, and a serious bite to the ring finger on his right hand, which may now require reconstructive surgery.
"I guess I'm just so bull-headed that I couldn't take it, having them get away," Lerwill said. "I figured I could just talk to them, especially since I saw they were young, and I hoped they'd give up. But they didn't.They were like caged animals."
That incident was the second time Lerwill has confronted burglars. He was armed with a shotgun when he confronted burglars during a heist in mid-April. Lerwill chased the would-be bandits out of the store, and those two youths, both from Salt Lake County, ran away into the night, leaving their vehicle, the loot and their licenses behind.
Response time can often be a problem for law enforcement in the outer areas of the county. Cedar Fort is 12 to 15 miles from Lehi, the nearest Utah County city, although officers "have usually been pretty good" at getting to Lerwill's store quickly, he said.
Scott Carter, a detective with the Utah County Sheriff's Department, said officers are usually able to survey the area once during their patrol shifts.
"We're satisfied with how we've been able to patrol that area so far, though," Carter said. "We've been able to come up with positive leads on all the cases."
However, officers are not able to prioritize certain areas because of the county's size and and patrol manpower situation, Carter said.
"We know there's a significant amount of agricultural interests out there, but we go there no more than we go to any other place. Our officers respond to where they patrol and where they get their calls."
In the meantime, Lerwill said he isn't going to change his security system much, although he said if he does pursue criminals again, he will be armed.
"It's hard enough to stay in business here without having to give away all your profits. I'm not going to put up with all this trash, but I'm afraid if it happens again someone else might get hurt."
*****
Security tips
Businesses in remote areas of the county should pay strict attention to internal security to prevent burglaries.
Scott Carter, a detective with the Utah County Sheriff's Department, said such security precautions might include installing alarm systems and making sure doors and windows are secure, even with deadbolt-type locks.
"A person in business has to do what he can to do stay in business, even if that means inconveniencing some customers," Carter said.
Additionally, store owners should make sure the area around the store is well-lighted.
Most important, the businessman should know how to contact the nearest law-enforcement office in case the store is burglarized, he said.