Happy Valley Police have arrested a suspect in a theft spree that plagued Happy Valley in recent weeks.
Clackamas County Sheriff’s Deputies contracted to Happy Valley Police spotted a suspect vehicle in the recent rash of car clouts, car thefts, and item thefts -- a crime spree that had spiked in several Happy Valley neighborhoods in the last two weeks.
Deputies activated patrol lights and pulled over the suspect vehicle. Inside, deputies found driver Dylan Young, age 20, driving. Deputies also spotted several tools and duffel bags in the car, along with knives and drug paraphernalia. A drug dog, K9 Urban of the Clackamas County Sheriff's Office, alerted on the suspect vehicle.
Deputies then searched the car -- finding ID belonging to multiple Happy Valley residents, stolen tools, heroin, meth, an Airsoft replica gun, knives, 5 cell phones, and 6 garage door openers, among other items.
Young reportedly told deputies he'd been on a two-week meth binge and had been driving to Happy Valley several nights a week to look for items and vehicles to steal. He further told deputies he had been searching for unlocked cars, taking whatever he could, and entering garages opened using the various garage-door openers in his possession.
In the process of the search and resulting arrest, deputies learned information linking Young with known thefts in the area.
In the last two weeks, Happy Valley PD has responded to reports of four stolen cars and over 30 thefts.
Happy Valley authorities are currently going through theft reports over the last two weeks to connect recovered property with victim owners. Several victims have already been contacted
"We dedicated significant resources to these cases over the last couple weeks," said Happy Valley Police Chief Scott Anderson, who had written extensively about the case on the Happy Valley PD Facebook page. "This included crime analysis, detective work, stakeouts, and our patrol folks taking reports and chasing leads. One of the key pieces that helped us make the arrest was a canvas of one neighborhood in which we discovered video surveillance that revealed the suspect vehicle. This was a key break in the case."
Dylan Leif Young is currently lodged in Clackamas County Jail on charges including Burglary, Unauthorized Use of a Motor Vehicle, and Possession of a Controlled Substance -- Heroin. Bail is set at $52,500. This investigation is ongoing, and there may be additional charges.
Source: Clackamas County Sheriff's Office