ST. GEORGE — With the housing market rising, someone took it upon themselves to steal an entire home by hooking it up to their truck and driving away. And they’re on the run.
“It’s crazy,” Eric Ward, Zion Tiny Homes co-owner, said. “Ballsy is the only word that keeps coming to mind.”
Ward said the entire property in Apple Valley where the tiny home was is gated with only one way in and one way out. The tiny home had a ball hitch lock on it, he said, and there was no evidence that the perpetrator tried to grind it off. He suspects they chained the home and transported it to a place where they could work on it more before officially hauling it away.
“And now it’s been seen — I think up close to Idaho — on Saturday night in this tiny truck that should not be pulling that tiny home,” he said. “Everyone said it’s going slow.”
He called a rancher who had seen the home and asked if he had camera footage. The man said he didn’t, but thought it was extremely polite that the driver pulled over on the dirt road to let him by, unaware they were hauling stolen property.
“You can just back up and hook up a trailer,” Washington County Sheriff’s Sgt. Lucas Alfred said. “So that’s always a concern. This company stated they did have it set up with a trailer lock. Obviously, those things can be removed. Anything can be stolen if someone is determined enough.”
It wasn’t until Ward’s plumber showed up to complete winterization that the missing home was detected. When the plumber contacted Ward, he initially thought it was impossible and headed into the canyon to see for himself.
“It takes almost 20 minutes to drive down into the canyon, and when I got there, sure enough, he was parked right where the tiny home used to be,” Ward said.
Although there is no camera footage of the lot, the Washington County Sheriff’s Office has developed several leads. Ward said the investigation has officially been turned over to detectives.
Once found, police can properly identify the home through its Vehicle Identification Number, authorities said.
“First tiny home stolen that we know of in this area,” Alfred said. “This is a new thing for us.”
Although theft can happen anytime, Alfred said trailer owners should defeat as many possibilities of theft as possible by using locks and other deterrents.
Ward is hoping for a Christmas miracle. Those who may have seen this home or have information regarding the theft are asked to contact dispatch at 435-634-5730 and ask to speak to a deputy. Reference incident 23W007359.
This report is based on statements from police and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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