Investigators got two unexpected big breaks in separate cases involving stolen rare copies of the Book of Mormon.
All of the books stolen from the University of Utah's Institute of Religion and the Daughters of Utah Pioneers museum have now been recovered. In addition, the Department of Public Safety issued an arrest warrant Tuesday for a second man involved in the museum heist.
A total of four missing copies of the Book of Mormon were coincidentally found within hours of each other Monday night and Tuesday, although investigators Tuesday afternoon did not believe the cases were connected.
Midvale police, along with their SWAT team and assistance from Murray, West Jordan and Taylorsville police, served a search warrant late Monday at a suspected drug house near 450 East and 6700 South.
Police found evidence of drugs as expected. What they weren't expecting to find was hidden in the rafters of the garage: an 1840 Nauvoo edition and an 1841 Liverpool edition of the Book or Mormon stolen last October from the U. Each book is estimated to be worth $40,000.
In addition, old copies of the Salt Lake Herald newspaper from the late 1800s were found.
"They look very valuable too," said Midvale Assistant Police Chief Tony Mason. "They didn't come from the university burglary; they've come from somewhere else."
Also recovered was an old stamp collection.
One man in the house was arrested and booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of drug charges. Investigators were unsure Tuesday if the person arrested was the one who actually stole the rare religious books or if he obtained them for another party.
Drug dealers will typically sell anything to get money for drugs, Mason said. Why or how the person arrested came into possession of the rare artifacts was still a mystery Tuesday.
Investigators did not go through the rare newspapers Tuesday for fear of damaging them. Mason said he did not know if the papers contained stories of any religious or state historical significance.
The other big break in the cases of missing copies of the Book of Mormon came Tuesday morning when an anonymous caller at a pay phone told police the two remaining books missing from the the DUP museum would be put in a mailbox near Granger High School, said Public Safety Lt. Tony Garcia.
Investigators went to the box and found an 1837 version and an 1852 Italian version of the Book of Mormon in a manila envelope addressed to: "President Hinckley, LDS Church, Important."
With that discovery, 13 books stolen from the museum have now been recovered. Last week, investigators announced the arrest of one man and the recovery of 11 books and a number of rare medals stolen from the museum.
"A million-dollar heist solved in a week . . . that's pretty good," Garcia said, praising investigators. "I was very confident I was going to get these rare books in my hands in the next few days. I just didn't know this would be the method."
Also Tuesday, an arrest warrant was issued for 41-year-old David Leroy Keener, the second man believed to be involved in the case. He is believed to have sold the rare medals after stealing them, Garcia said. Court documents state that Keener received $75 for the medals and other merchandise he brought into the collection store last week. The DUP museum identified the items as those stolen from them last month.
As of Tuesday, Garcia said he did not expect any additional people to be charged. He also did not have evidence Tuesday that suggested the burglaries at the U. and the museum were related.
E-mail: preavy@desnews.com