OGDEN — Police have partly solved the great model train caper.
Tuesday afternoon and evening, Ogden police served search warrants in the Ogden and North Ogden areas and recovered $60,000 worth of model trains and train parts, as well as the trailer they were in when they were taken.
On Friday, Norman Keller, of Oregon, owner of Electric Norman, was staying at Motel 6, 1455 Washington. Keller collects model trains and was between model train shows in Denver and Sandy.
While at the motel, somebody hauled away his trailer with 4,500 model train parts inside. The theft essentially shut down his entire business, according to police.
On Tuesday, Ogden Police Lt. Danielle Croyle said surveillance was set up on suspects in the northeast part of the city. Some of the stolen property was spotted, prompting investigators to get a search warrant, she said.
Detectives searched the home and found the majority of the missing train parts in the attic, Croyle said.
Information collected from that house led police to another residence in North Ogden. When officers arrived, they found a man spray painting the missing trailer black, Croyle said.
Someone had also attempted to remove the VIN plate number, she said. It was unclear Wednesday whether that man was also responsible for stealing the trailer and trains.
No one had been arrested as of Wednesday afternoon. Croyle said the investigation was ongoing. But the model train parts had been returned to Keller, she said.
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