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Police make arrests for alleged burglaries, fraud

Posted at 7:59 PM, Jan 25, 2013
and last updated 2013-01-25 21:59:37-05

HOLLADAY, Utah - A Holladay couple has been arrested on nearly a dozen charges related to home burglaries, ID theft and fraud.

Joe Facello and Chantel Biggs were tied to a string of home burglaries in Holladay and Sandy in late December, but before police could file official charges, the pair made bail and nearly left town.

After more than a month on the run, police finally located and arrested Facello and Biggs on Wednesday.

"It's a good thing they're off the street, they're people that don't care about others," said Sandy Police Sgt. Jon Arnold.

Detectives can tie the pair to a half dozen home burglaries from last fall, but they fell that's just the tip of the iceberg.

"We believe there three to four times that amount they actually committed we haven't been able to tie them to yet," Arnold said.

FOX 13 News first profiled Facello and Biggs in late December after police raided a rental home in Holladay, which is their suspected base of operations.

Holly, a resident who lived nearby, says that shortly after the couple moved in, burglaries in the area increased. One of her close friends was a victim.

"While she was out of town. She had about $18,000 worth of jewelry stolen and they pinpointed it back to him," Holly said.

Charging documents also say Facello and Biggs allegedly stole $43,000 in electronic devices, power tools and handguns from another man's home. They're also charged with stealing then forging checks at Nordstrom and a beauty supply store.

Police say Facello had a commercial drivers license and met Biggs at a Salt Lake-area truck stop on Wednesday, where police say they were going to leave town together in his big rig.

"She had a backpack, got out of her car and was going to jump in the truck," Arnold said.

But police were able to arrest them before they managed to leave. Now they're in jail on more than $100,00 bail each. They will likely have their first court appearance next week.