MURRAY, Utah -- Murray police said a local men’s organization called the Tribe of Kyngs was broken into on Sunday morning.
The building they use is located in Murray near 4700 South and 300 West.
The founder of the organization, New York Times bestselling author Richard Paul Evans, said he came by the building to check on it after his phone notified him the building alarm went off.
When he arrived, the back door was wide open.
“They just cut out the window here and went in," Evans said. “It was fast. They were ready. They knew what they were doing. They had the tools.”
They kicked in an office door and stole thousands of dollars in cash as well as camera equipment the tribe uses for social media. Evans said the suspects even stole a case of Diet Coke and ice cream sandwiches, plus T-shirts and other swag with the tribe’s logo on it.
“The thing that was most amusing was they liked the wear… you could tell they picked out their sizes!”
The Tribe of Kyngs is a club for men, a fraternity that welcomes any man over 18 years old.
“We have feasts every month,” explained Evans. “We have a band. We have what's called KPN. We teach finances and investment… It’s a fraternity for men. We protect men. We give them a safe place to go.”
Evans started the organization after he learned about the rising rate of suicide among men.
“Men are giving up," he said. "They are isolating. They are turning to drugs and pornography. They're in pain.”
He said since he started the organization, 14 men have told him that the tribe stopped them from committing suicide.
“It’s heart-wrenching, really," Evans said. "I am sorry there is so much pain.”
Evans said the burglary was scary.
“I felt violated," he said.
But he said it’s become a positive experience.
“To see how the men felt violated; to see how much they care… One is like, ‘Do we need to camp out there? Do we need to protect it?’ like no, it's OK.”
If you recognize the suspects in the surveillance video, please call Murray police: 801-264-2673
