Crazy night at the cabin by Kellie Smith
The Belcher family has a tradition on Labor Day and it is to go to the cabin and work! The holiday is named “Labor Day” and we take that seriously. Thayne and I left for the cabin around 6:00 p.m. and got there at 7:00. Katie and Nate were there along with the girls (Charlotte, Abbie and Hannah), Rachel brought her three roommates from Washington DC, Dave and Raette, Brad Belcher, John and Sharie, Grandma and Grandpa, Paul, Courtney, Logan, Porter, Adam, and then Jay and Monica came up later that evening. Thayne and I, the girls, Rachel and her friends, Adam, Jay and Monica were the ones staying in the cabin. Katie and Nate were in a tent by John and Sharie’s trailer. After an evening of smores, roasted Starburst, and laughing around the fire, everyone went to bed. I was awakened around 1:00 a.m. by a helicopter which kept buzzing by the cabin making all sorts of racket. I swear it was landing on our roof it was so loud. I was getting scared knowing something was wrong and Thayne was out cold, snoring his head off. At 1:30 Adam got up because he had a nightmare and was going downstairs and saw someone with a flashlight. He woke up Jay and saw it was Uncle Dave and went out to find out what was going on. Dave said he heard the helicopter and got on his four wheeler and headed for the upper gate. He noticed many Wasatch County Sheriff trucks. He turned off his four wheeler and lights and was sitting in the dark when someone yelled “Hey Neighbor”. Dave said a tentative “Yes” and Dave heard “is that you Mr. Belcher?” Dave replied “Yes”. It was the neighbor across the street. Dave asked what was going on and the neighbor said two people had broken into a cabin, a man and woman, and the homeowners found them and called the police. The sheriff came and chased them after they had stolen a Jeep. Dave decided the family should be warned and said a hasty goodbye to the neighbor. Dave went to Jack and Kay’s motorhome and told them to lock their door and don’t open it for anyone. He then went to Katie and Nate’s tent to tell them to get in the cabin. Dave was heading to the cabin when Jay and Adam saw him.
The men (Adam, Jay, Nate, John) all hopped on the four wheelers to see what was going on. The girls helped Katie get her air mattress into the cabin and locked the door. The men came back and I asked Adam to check on the car since the keys were in it. It was parked by the basketball court. He went that direction and asked me where it was. I told him on the basketball court. He said it wasn’t there. I went upstairs and woke Thayne up to make sure he hadn’t moved it. It was GONE! John and Jay went to the highway to tell the police a car of ours was missing. The Sheriff told them the owner of the car needed to file a police report. They came back and John took me in his car down to the command center by the Timberlakes Guard Shack and garbage cans. I had to fill out a report about what kind of car it was, how much gas was in the tank (I told them ¾ of a tank and it gets really good gas mileage), did I have any firearms in the car (I told them the only harmful thing was hand sanitizer). They did want to see my license but my hot fucsia jammies didn’t have pockets. They were impressed that I had my license number memorized. They then asked what the VIN number of my car was…I didn’t have that memorized. They were able to find the information on their computer. They also asked what the license plate number was…the car only had temporary sticker since we had just bought it from the leasing company. I was nervous she would go to the house since the garage door opener was inside along with our address. The Murray police were called to watch our house in case she did come there. The police said we would have to wait for someone to report an abandoned car to find it.
The Sheriff told us earlier the fugitives took a turn right to a cul-de-sac in Timberlakes and took the Jeep off a 15 foot jump and when it landed it wouldn’t go further so the fugitives got out and ran down the hillside. The cul-de-sac was close to Brad’s lot on Boxwood Lane. They got to Boxwood Lane and the girl ran to our gate and the guy was hiding in the bushes. The police dog was able to sniff out the guy and he was in the ambulance getting checked out. We saw the ambulance leave and the tow truck with the Jeep on it. The girl had walked up our road, past Katie and Nate checking all the cars and found mine was unlocked and with the keys inside.
The Sheriff wanted to see where the car was and had to follow us since there is a code to get in the gate. We drove up there and got through the gate when we saw Dave and Raette on their four wheeler. Dave stopped us and showed us tracks where the car had stopped just around the bend, saw the gate was closed and turned around. If she had gone five more feet the automatic opener would have been triggered and the gate would have opened. She was still on the property!!! Dave took the Sheriff down the various roads (the one road you went on with the four wheeler and the guy yelled at you). Finally they went past the cabin, past the pavilion and up that four wheel trail. Past the meadow it really narrows down and there are some pretty big rocks. John and Jay had been up that trail but thought there was no way a car could get up there and had turned back. Dave found that just five feet further was a tire mark. The police told Dave to get behind them and they pulled their guns out to proceed. Just where the four wheel trail makes that sharp turn they saw more tire marks and then my car…it was slid off the hillside up against a fallen dead tree. The Sheriff got the helicopter to come back and the dogs and combed the hillside, but they couldn’t find her.
Finally at 5:00 a.m. the fun was over and all 20 Sheriff cars left. At 9:00 a.m. the Sheriff came back and wanted to get the car down so they could get fingerprints. Brad had his car with a wench; Jay drove the mini hoe up to the car. Brad hooked onto the front bumper and Dave with the tractor, moved the log it was leaning against. Dave hooked a chain on the back passenger tire and pulled it down the hillside. We didn’t want it to roll. Brad held the front and Dave got the car down to the bottom. The Sheriff then put some white powder on the two hand prints on the door and got some good finger prints. They were able to get the name of this girl. Thayne was able to drive the car to the basketball court. The front bumper was ripped off and dents everywhere. Of course we couldn’t see the undercarriage and what damage was done there. It was such an exciting night! Funny thing was Char, Abbie, Hannah, Rachel and her roommates slept through the whole thing – and of course, Thayne. The rest of us were up and scared and stressed. Jack and Kay went back to sleep except when the helicopter was buzzing the cabin. Paul and Courtney were in their trailer and missed it all too – except the helicopter. Dave and Raette really missed their calling in life – they would be great Bounty Hunters with all the involvement in finding the car.
The rest of the day was spent shoring up the bridge and putting in the Gabian basket and then working on the swim hole in the creek. Brad did finish the boards around the windows. What an eventful day when nothing ever happens in Heber.
PS – after getting the car towed to the body shop…the adjuster said it would cost $10,000 to fix the car.
