Pair Charged With Using Credit Cards Taken From Car In Garage Of Riverton Home

            SALT LAKE CITY – Two individuals have been charged in a federal complaint with using credit cards stolen from a Riverton woman’s wallet.  The wallet was taken from her car while it was parked in the garage at her home on June 24, 2013. The complaint alleges the pair used the credit cards to make about $1,037.23 in purchases at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Midvale and a Nike Store in West Jordan.

            Jason Oler Kettler, age 35, of Magna, and Chaunte Marie Thompson, age 31, of Salt Lake City, who are charged in the complaint with one count of using an unauthorized access device (credit card), are scheduled to make an initial appearance on the charges at 3 p.m. Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge Evelyn J. Furse.

            According to the complaint, the victim of the theft, identified in the document as J.B., contacted the Unified Police Department on June 24, 2013, to report that an unknown individual entered her residential garage in Riverton and stole her wallet from her parked car.  J.B. had video footage of the burglary.

            A UPD officer reviewed the footage and observed a red passenger car with a sun roof pull into the drive way.  A single white male exited the car and entered the garage.  The male was observed coming and going from the garage to his vehicle several times.   A few minutes later, he backed out of the drive way and left.

            Two days later, J.B. reported to police that three of the credit cards in her stolen wallet had been used without her authorization on the day of the burglary.  One was used at Sportsman’s Warehouse in Midvale to make a purchase of $493.49.  Two others were used at the Nike Store in West Jordan to make purchases of $341.85 and $201.89.  Officers worked with the stores to obtain video of the transactions and other information about the purchases.

            According to the complaint, on July 2, 2013, after reviewing video surveillance tapes from several sources and receiving numerous tips in the case, a UPD detective was able to identify Kettler and Thompson as suspects in the case by matching their driver’s licenses and prior booking photos to the suspects in the videos.

            This case is being investigated by the Utah Identity Theft Task Force, which is comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies working together to investigate identity theft related crimes throughout the State of Utah.  The Salt Lake District Attorney’s Office and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue to coordinate efforts as the investigation continues.

            Complaints are not findings of guilt.  Individuals charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty in court.  The potential maximum penalty for one count of access device fraud is 10 years in federal prison and a fine of $250,000.