ST. GEORGE — A man wanted in connection with a shooting that took place in the parking lot of an LDS chapel in April was sentenced to 120 days in jail and three years probation after pleading guilty to two counts of aggravated assault.

Dillynn Pruett, 19, was sentenced Nov. 7 in 5th District Court on two third-degree felony counts of aggravated assault, to which he pleaded guilty Sept. 24.

District Judge Jeffrey C. Wilcox had previously ordered an investigation be conducted examining Pruett’s background, any criminal history and his chances of reoffending, a report that was subsequently used during sentencing.

The case stems from an incident reported July 23, when officers were dispatched to the parking lot of the South River Road church on a call of shots fired shortly before 11:30 p.m. in which five individuals reported they were shot at, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of Pruett’s arrest.

Earlier that day, one of the witnesses had reportedly received a message through social media that they suspected was from an individual with whom they had just broken up. They believed the person was using an alias under the guise they were selling drugs. Playing along, the report said, a meeting was set up at the church parking lot and the individual arrived in a vehicle along with four other occupants. As they pulled in, they noticed a vehicle parked toward the rear of the parking lot.

As the group pulled up, the other vehicle drove away. As it passed by the other car, the passenger in the front seat of the suspect’s vehicle fired at least four shots at the group before exiting onto River Road and heading south. One of the bullets hit the windshield and shattered it, while a second possibly struck the front grill that had appeared damaged.

Through the course of the two-week investigation, officers collected video surveillance footage from a gas station on River Road where the suspect’s vehicle could be seen traveling south around the time of the shooting.

Officers had received a tip claiming Pruett was the shooter sitting in the passenger’s seat of the car.  Pruett was arrested Aug. 11 at the Washington County Fair by two St. George Police bike patrol officers. The suspect later denied the allegation he was the shooter during an interview with detectives at the jail.

During the sentencing hearing, Judge Wilcox ordered the defendant to serve 120 days in jail with credit for time served.

The prison sentence of up to five years on each count was suspended. Instead,  Pruett was placed on 36 months probation with Adult Probation and Parole and ordered to pay a $1,600 fine, or complete 100 hours of community service in lieu of the fine.

He was also ordered to complete a mental health and substance abuse evaluation and follow any recommended treatment or counseling. He was also ordered to earn his GED or high school diploma.

During September’s review hearing when the defendant entered his pleas, two third-degree felony charges were dismissed, including one count each of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm by a restricted person. Pruett remains in custody serving out his sentence as this report publishes.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A Nevada man is in jail after he was arrested for felony auto theft after allegedly passing a Utah Highway Patrol trooper going more than 100 mph on Interstate 15 near Cedar City early Sunday morning.

Just after 6 a.m., a Utah Highway Patrol trooper on I-15 near mile marker 58 in Iron County observed a vehicle that was caught on radar going more than 100 mph. When the trooper caught up with the vehicle he ran the license plates which and found that the car was stolen out of Las Vegas, Nevada, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.

The trooper called for backup and pulled the car over when reinforcements arrived.

During the stop, the driver, later identified as 41-year-old Londell Teasley of Las Vegas, was arrested and transported to the Iron County Jail where he was booked on a second-degree felony for receive or transfer of a stolen vehicle, along with speeding and driving without a license.

During an interview at the jail, Teasley allegedly told the trooper that the vehicle belonged to his girlfriend, who “told him that if he didn’t return it she would have it reported as stolen,” according to the report.

The suspect remains in jail on $10,000 bail and the charges were submitted to the Iron County Attorney’s Office for review.

A $6 billion dollar problem

In 2018, the FBI estimates that more than 750,000 cars were stolen in the U.S., which is actually a 26-year downward trend from the 1.7 million vehicles stolen in 1991, when auto thefts were at their peak, the Insurance Information Institute reports.

Even so, that is an average of more than 2,050 automobiles stolen every day in the United States.

The report also revealed that Anchorage, Alaska had the highest vehicle theft rate of any U.S. metropolitan area, while California took five of the top 10 cities in auto theft and ranks No. 1 statewide, followed by Texas and Florida.

The Insurance Information Institute also reported that in nearly 230,000 vehicle thefts that took place from 2016-2018, the keys or fobs were left in the vehicle – a 55% increase over the previous three-year period.

In Utah, more than 8,300 vehicles were stolen in 2017, and only 792 of those cases were solved during that year — a clearance rate of just over 9%, according to the Utah Department of Public Safety 2017 Crime Report.

The report also revealed that more vehicles were stolen in August than during any other month that year, and the highest auto theft rates involved males between the age of 15-19.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

MESQUITE, Nev. — A St. George man was arrested in Mesquite, Nevada, last week on drug and gun charges.

On Nov. 15 at approximately 4:40 a.m., Mesquite Police officers were dispatched to a casino for a requested welfare check on 26-year-old Jacob Hancock, who was sleeping in the front seat of a vehicle.

“The officers observed the male sitting in the driver’s seat was slumped over the center console onto the passenger seat,” the Mesquite Police Department said in a press release. “The officers also observed evidence of illegal and dangerous drug usage inside the vehicle.”

After waking Hancock and ensuring he was safe and not in need of medical attention, officers allegedly found him to be in possession of a handgun concealed on his person. Police said he was also found to be in possession of approximately 15 grams of heroin.

Hancock was arrested and charged with felony charges of trafficking heroin, prohibited person in possession of firearm, carrying concealed weapon without permit and misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

Hancock was transported and booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Nevada.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

CEDAR CITY — A Parowan man was arrested Saturday after police said he unlawfully shot and killed his neighbor’s dog.

Bradley Niederhauser, 50, was subsequently booked into Iron County Jail on suspicion of aggravated cruelty to animals, a class A misdemeanor, and discharging a weapon within 600 feet of a dwelling, a class B misdemeanor.

According to a probable cause statement filed by the Iron County Sheriff’s Office in support of the arrest, the situation unfolded Saturday in the area of 200 North and 3700 West in Parowan.

“Bradley Niederhauser called dispatch stating the neighbors dog was out and if it gets onto his property he was going to shoot it,” the statement said, adding that Niederhauser called dispatch again a short time later saying he had shot the animal.

The Sheriff’s Office deputy arrived to find the dog’s body at the edge of the property. 

The statement said that Bradley told the deputy he “shot the dog at the edge of the property as it was charging him” before walking up next to it and putting it down. However, the deputy added, “Bradley’s story could not match up to the tracks that were located where the dog was shot nor the blood that was found on the scene.”

Although Niederhauser reportedly expressed his intent to shoot any dog that comes onto his property and stated that he was legally justified in doing so, the deputy said he was unable to find evidence to support Niederhauser’s claim that his own personal safety was at risk.

“There was no evidence supporting Bradley’s claims of fearing for his safety, which would mean he killed the dog without the legal right to do so,” the statement said, adding that the shots were fired from within 600 feet of the neighbor’s house across the street.

“According to the location he described that he was shooting from, he was not shooting in a safe direction due to houses in the backdrop,” the deputy concluded in the probable cause statement.

Although the dog’s breed was not specified in the probable cause statement, subsequent posts and comments on social media, including some from the dog’s owner, indicated the animal was a black Labrador retriever.

Updated Nov. 25, 4 p.m. to include information about the breed of dog involved.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE —A New Mexico man was arrested Saturday after Hurricane Police officers were tipped off that a suspect was in the area allegedly using stolen credit cards.

Shortly after 4 p.m., Hurricane Police officers responded to the Walgreens on State Street in Hurricane after being contacted by the Kane County Sheriff’s Office advising that a suspect was at the store using a credit card that was allegedly stolen out of a vehicle in their district, according to the probable cause statement submitted to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.

According to Kane County authorities, the suspect smashed through a car window and took multiple items, including the credit card reportedly being used in Hurricane.

Officers spoke to the Walgreens cashier who helped the suspect and learned the card was used to purchase more than $700 in merchandise. Officers also viewed camera footage that showed a white male, who was later identified as 39-year-old Ryan Griffin of Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the store making the purchase.

Officers were then notified that the credit card was being used at the 7-Eleven gas station across the street, according to the report, where police viewed surveillance footage that showed the same male. Surveillance also provided a description of the vehicle he was driving, a gray Honda minivan.

Shortly thereafter, a minivan matching the description of the suspect’s vehicle was spotted in the Hurricane Walmart parking lot on state Route 9.

Officers positioned near the entrance of the store recognized Griffin from the Walgreens surveillance footage as he was “exiting the store pushing a shopping cart full of merchandise,” the officer noted in the report.

The officer approached Griffin just as he was opening the rear door of the minivan and grabbed him by the arm, at which point the suspect was able to pull away from the officer and flee the parking lot on foot.

Griffin eventually stopped and dropped to his knees before he was taken into custody. During a search, officers found multiple bank cards and identification cards that belonged to other individuals from multiple states in the suspect’s pockets. During a subsequent search of the suspect’s vehicle, they located the property purchased from Walmart and Walgreens that was later returned to the stores. Officers also located identification cards and financial cards belonging to eight different individuals, as well as a number of social security cards.

Upon review of the transaction documents from Walmart and Walgreens, officers determined that Griffin allegedly made nine total attempts to “charge the stolen credit cards for purchases,” that statement said.

Also inside of the minivan, officers located pointed tools typically used to break through glass that were consistent with the tools that could have been used during the alleged vehicle burglary reported in Kane County.

The officer also noted that Griffin was the only suspect seen in surveillance footage, which led police to believe he acted alone.

The suspect was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked for eight third-degree felony offenses, including seven counts of unlawful acquisition of a financial card and one count of possession of another’s identifying documents. He also faces 14 misdemeanor charges, including nine counts of unlawful use of a finance card, two counts of providing false personal information with the intent to be another actual person; one count of manufacture/possess burglary tools; one count of interfering with an arresting officer and one count of failing to stop at the command of law enforcement.

Griffin remains in custody on $10,000 bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — After his brief release, 51-year-old Jason Howard Clinger is back in custody without bail following a hearing Monday morning.

Clinger was arrested Oct. 8 on first degree felony murder charges after Washington County Sheriff’s Office deputies received a call of suspicious activity in Apple Valley.

The caller refused to provide further detail, adding that they would talk to officials once they arrived. Law enforcement delayed their response due to the unusual circumstances but dispatched deputies to the scene after additional contact with the caller.

When officers arrived at the Plataclay Mine in Apple Valley, they found the body of 50-year-old Todd Clayton Stratton, who appeared to have died from injuries consistent with gunshot wounds.

Clinger allegedly told officials he shot the victim following an altercation, and he was arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility, where he was held on a $100,000 bail.

During a press conference on Oct. 9, Washington County Sheriff’s Lt. David Crouse said on the day of the alleged murder, Clinger and Stratton were engaged in a heated, verbal altercation that became physical when Clinger retreated into a house on the property to retrieve a firearm before returning outside and shooting Stratton. Clinger and Lucy Truitt — Clinger’s girlfriend — were residing in the home at the time of the incident.

Prosecutor Zachary Weiland of the Washington County Attorney’s Office told St. George News a judge reviewed the probable cause statement filed in support of Clinger’s arrest and initially issued the $100,000 cash bail.

Clinger’s bail was obtained through a bondsman, at which point he returned to the property where he stayed with his girlfriend.

Under Utah Code 77-20-1-2C – which states that bail is a right but that it can be revoked for felony cases where there is substantial evidence or where the defendant is likely to flee – the state requested Monday’s bail hearing, where prosecutors argued that Clinger posed a significant danger to the community and that there was substantial evidence to support the charge.

The substantial evidence presented by prosecutors was a 20-minute video of the confrontation and alleged murder, recorded by Stratton, which the court watched when making its determination. Officials asked that Clinger be placed back into custody without bail.

The court agreed with prosecution and ruled that Clinger would be placed back into the custody of Washington County officials.

During the Oct. 9 press conference, Crouse said Clinger and Stratton had known each other since grade school. The pair had previously entered into a civil contract regarding property Stratton owned, allowing Clinger to complete work for Stratton in exchange for the property. For years, the pair had disagreed on whether Clinger had been providing the services they have agreed upon.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A Washington City man is scheduled to appear Wednesday in 5th District Court after allegedly admitting to breaking into a Hurricane residence. Police say they found items taken from the home hidden in the back of a vehicle parked nearby.

Charges were filed by the Washington County Attorney’s Office against 36-year-old Travis Regg, who is facing charges of second-degree felony burglary, third-degree felony theft and two misdemeanors, including one count of tampering with evidence and use or possession of drug paraphernalia, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.

The charges stem from an incident Monday when officers responded to the residence after 911 caller reported seeing an unknown individual walk into the home. The homeowners were alerted to the intrusion by the activation of the home’s security cameras.

Police arrived to find the back door to the residence ajar, the report states, but the home was unoccupied.

Officers began searching the area and found a man, later identified as Regg, who matched the description of the individual seen in the footage. While questioning the suspect, police say he initially told them he went to the home “looking for a friend.”

Detectives arrived shortly thereafter, at which point police say Regg admitted to entering the residence “knowing no one was there,” with the intent of burglarizing the home.

Officers began a search of the area and reportedly found several items that did not belong to the suspect in the back of his vehicle, items that the report states the homeowner – and suspect – confirmed were taken from the residence. During a search of the suspect’s vehicle, officers also allegedly found two used syringes that contained a residue consistent with a narcotic.

Officers ran a background check that revealed Regg was on parole and had at least two prior convictions in the last 10 years. Officers contacted the suspect’s parole agent, and he was placed on a 72-hour hold for a parole violation. 

According to court records, Regg pleaded guilty to misdemeanor shoplifting in a 2011 case, followed by multiple cases filed between 2015-2017. In those cases, Regg pleaded guilty to weapons, false identity and drug charges, for which he was ordered to serve 365 days in the Weber County Jail. He was subsequently placed in the work-release program in March 2017.

The day he began the program, however, he failed to return to the jail at the appointed time. He was later located and charged with third-degree felony escape, for which he was sentenced to serve up to five years in Utah State Prison.

According to court records, the suspect had no further cases until charges were filed involving the Hurricane incident Monday. He remains in jail on $15,000 bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — What started as pulling two vehicles over for equipment violations on Interstate 15 near Cedar City Friday morning became a drug bust with the aid of the sleuthing snout of a K-9 officer.

Utah Highway Patrol officers arrested the drivers of two vehicles after officers discovered stashes of narcotics being transported by both cars traveling north on I-15. The vehicles were stopped at approximately 10:30 a.m. between the West 200 North and Main Street exits.  

Initially, according to UHP Sgt. Ryan Bauer, the two cars were pulled over for equipment violations. But officers on the scene became suspicious when the two drivers’ stories of not knowing each other didn’t gel.

“They were traveling right close to each other to begin with,” Bauer said. “They denied traveling together, but the officers saw things that didn’t add up.”

A K-9 unit at the scene detected narcotics in both vehicles. Officers then found 40 pounds of methamphetamine in the lead car and 2.5 pounds each of heroin and fentanyl pills in the second car.

“One thing they’re good at is helping us with things like this,” Bauer said of the canine members of the UHP.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A local man appeared in 5th District Court Friday facing more than a dozen charges after he was identified as the suspect allegedly responsible for a string of vehicle burglaries, and the theft of a number of checks, mail and packages.

Jared Emmett, 35, of St. George, made an initial appearance in court facing nine third-degree felony offenses, including five counts of unlawful possession/acquisition of a finance card, three counts of forgery and one count of possession of another’s identifying documents. He was also charged with three misdemeanors, including theft by deception, mail theft and a paraphernalia charge.

Further charges are pending, including one third-degree felony count of possession of a forgery writing device, three misdemeanor counts of vehicle burglary and three counts of theft that were submitted to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.

The charges stem from three investigations that were conducted simultaneously, the first of which began Sept. 5, when detectives were called in to investigate a report of a theft involving two suspicious checks that were sent through an individual’s bank account totaling $1,100, according to charging documents filed with the court.

Both checks were made payable to the suspect, a name unknown to the individual reporting the alleged crime, police say.

The individual told police that a third check for $850 was also presented at the bank, but the account was closed so the bank refused to process it.

When the suspect was confronted, police say Emmett told them he received the checks as payment for work he had done in LaVerkin, but he said he did not know the name of the person he was working for since he allegedly found the job using an app.

The second investigation began Nov. 28 when officers responded to a number of vehicle burglaries reported on the same street in St. George. They found that equipment, tools, checks and financial cards were reportedly taken.

Police were able to identify the suspect allegedly responsible for the burglaries after a check was recovered from one of the reporting parties that was made out to Emmett and cashed for $1,000. Several tools and other items reportedly removed from the vehicles were later matched to pawn tickets that police say were in the suspect’s name.

Officers also recovered security footage that showed a tall man matching the description of the suspect, and, according to police, Emmett admitted to cashing the checks taken from the burglaries. Officers were later able to match the signature on the check to the suspect’s signature.

The third investigation was opened on Dec. 1 when police received a report that a package delivered to a residence in St. George was taken from the porch. Surveillance footage revealed that the package had been stolen by a female who left in a white passenger car driven by a male.

There were additional reports made of a similar suspect and vehicle taking other packages in the area, and a number of those stolen were later returned with the shipping labels ripped off and a note apologizing for taking them.

Officers learned from DMV records that a car matching the vehicle shown in the footage was registered to Emmett.

Through the course of the investigation, officers collected several shipping labels matching the packages reportedly stolen. During a search of Emmett’s residence, multiple identification documents and financial cards were found inside a coat pocket belonging to the suspect.

A number of the financial and identification cards found were later matched to property allegedly taken in a series of vehicle and residential burglaries previously reported to police. Shortly thereafter, Emmett was arrested and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility.

The woman shown in the footage was later identified as Emmalee Layton after an officer recognized her from a number of videos and images of the thefts that had been shared on social media. She was arrested Thursday and faces misdemeanor theft and paraphernalia charges.

Emmett remains in custody on $52,630 bail and is scheduled to appear for a roll call hearing Dec. 18.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — Officers in Washington City were busy Monday with two vehicle stops that resulted in drug charges. The first stop yielded 11 pounds of marijuana, and in the second stop, officers found heroin and methamphetamine inside of the car, along with three occupants who had active warrants for their arrest.

The first stop took place shortly after midnight Monday when an officer stopped a vehicle for an equipment violation. The driver, 21-year-old Jesus Torres-Lopez, told police he did not have a driver’s license, Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St. George News.

“The driver had no credentials – no driver’s license or any other identification at first,” Williams said.

Lopez then provided an identification card issued by the United States Department of State, but officers were unable to locate a valid driver’s license for him. The two passengers in the vehicle provided identification cards issued out of Mexico, according to the probable cause statements filed in support of the arrests.

The officer became suspicions when he noticed several “Scent Tree” air fresheners hanging from the roof of the vehicle, a common practice to mask the odor of marijuana, the officer noted in the report.

Once backup arrived, all three men were instructed to exit the vehicle. A Spanish-speaking officer spoke to the men for several minutes about their business in the United States until a K-9 officer was dispatched to the scene and conducted a sniff around the SUV.

“Once the dog indicated to the presence of drugs, they conducted a search of the vehicle,” Williams said.

Officers found a large black garbage bag in the rear section of the SUV, and inside were a number packages of what appeared to be marijuana wrapped in clear plastic packages that Williams called “consistent with packaging used in distribution.”

In Utah, marijuana sells for about $200 an ounce, Williams said, so the total value of the 11-pound seizure is roughly $35,200.

Tucked between the passenger seat and the center console, officers also allegedly found a Ruger pistol, and a pack of ammunition was located inside of the front passenger side floorboard.

“They found the ammunition inside of an empty Doritos bag,” Williams said.

Inside the center console, officers also found a clear piece of plastic that was tied at the top containing what appeared to be cocaine “within arms reach of all three occupants” of the vehicle, the officer noted in the probable cause statement.

Lopez and his two passengers, 32-year-old Dario Siqueiros-Hernandez and 28-year-old Jesus Orduno-Chavez, were taken into custody at that point.

During a search of the suspects, officers found a wallet inside of Lopez’s back pocket that contained what turned out to be a fake identification card issued out of Mexico. The card had an actual photo of the suspect but with a different name, and it was made with a different type of plastic, with markings that were inconsistent with the marking on an authentic ID card.

The trio was transported to jail and each one faces possession with intent to distribute marijuana and possession of a weapon by a category II person, both third-degree felonies, along with misdemeanor charges for drug and paraphernalia possession.

Lopez also faces two additional charges, including one second-degree felony count of forgery for allegedly carrying the false ID card, as well as an infraction for never obtaining a driver’s license.

Chavez and Hernandez were being held on $7,630 bail, while Lopez was being held on $17,000 bail. However, Williams said that since the arrest, an immigration hold has been placed on all three men.

Later that same day, officers observed a vehicle parked behind Walmart on Telegraph and noticed a man, later identified as 26-year-old Charles Olson, getting into a second vehicle for a few minutes before returning to his own car and driving away.

The officer stopped the car and arrested three suspects on outstanding warrants, including Olson, who was wanted on seven warrants, five of which were felony warrants. Officers also located small quantities of heroin and methamphetamine inside the car.

Olson was transported to jail and booked on the warrants without incident, Williams said.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — What began as a disturbance call in Washington City ended with a suspect hanging halfway out of a patrol vehicle in an alleged attempt to escape while being transported to jail.

On Friday evening, Washington City Police officers were dispatched to a residence to investigate a report of a male that was “screaming, yelling and acting crazy,” according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest. While en route, officers learned the suspect left the residence and was last seen running down the street.

A second call to 911 from a neighbor also reported hearing the suspect screaming and yelling before they heard several loud crashing noises coming from the residence.

Police arrived and spoke to a witness at the house who told officers that minutes earlier, the suspect broke the TV and ripped the blinds from the window after becoming irate and agitated. He then fled the residence on foot.

Police located a man matching the description of the suspect – later identified as 40-year-old Grover Jackson – approximately a block from the residence. While speaking with Jackson, the report says, officers detected a strong odor of alcohol.

Jackson was arrested shortly thereafter and placed in the back of the patrol vehicle to be transported to jail.

During transport, Jackson, who was handcuffed with his hands behind his back, was able to maneuver his arms to the front of his body, roll the rear passenger window down and start to crawl out of the window.

Jackson had more than half of his body out of the window by the time the officer was able to pull off the highway and stop. After a short struggle, officers gained control of Jackson, who was again placed back in the patrol car to continue the journey to Purgatory Correctional Facility without further incident.

Unbeknownst to the transporting officer, the window lock for the inmate compartment of the patrol vehicle was not activated, Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams said.

At the jail, Jackson was booked on a felony escaping from official custody offense, along with misdemeanor criminal mischief and interfering with the arresting officer. He also faces an infraction for intoxication.

After the Washington County Attorney’s Office reviewed the proposed charges, the felony escape from custody offense was reduced to a class A misdemeanor, according to charging documents filed with the court.

Jackson has yet to be scheduled for a court appearance in the case and remains in custody on $5,000 bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — Two suspects appeared in court Friday after authorities allegedly found more than $200,000 worth of methamphetamine in their trunk during a traffic stop on Interstate 15 last week.

Ricardo Cordero, 29, and Violet Armenta, 19, both of Los Angeles, appeared in 5th District Court Friday where each faced one second-degree felony count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, as well as misdemeanor possession of marijuana and paraphernalia charges, according to charging documents filed with the court.

The charges stem from an incident that took place Wednesday when a Washington County Drug Task Force detective noticed a silver passenger car veer onto the shoulder and then return to the travel lane as it headed north near mile marker 18 just past the Hurricane Exit.

The car was stopped and the driver, later identified as Cordero, told police he didn’t have his driver’s license on him. He claimed to have “accidentally swerved,” then provided the officer with his school ID. The passenger identified herself as Armenta, but told the detective she had no ID.

While running a check on the vehicle and its occupants, the detective requested assistance from a Washington City K-9 officer who arrived on scene shortly thereafter.

The pair was asked to exit the car while the K-9 unit was deployed, and during a sniff around the vehicle, the dog, Atticus, indicated the presence of narcotics. The driver told the detective he had a marijuana cigarette in the center console of the car, the officer noted in the report.

During a search of the vehicle, officers allegedly found a small digital scale inside of a purse on the passenger’s side of the car, and in the trunk, they located 32 individually rolled oblong packages containing a white crystalline substance wrapped in clear plastic.

The packages came to a total weight of more than 36 pounds and came up positive for methamphetamine during a field test, the report said.

Officers also located a glass pipe with white residue on it under the passenger’s side front seat, the rolled marijuana cigarette in the center console and a small baggie in the center armrest containing a green substance that later tested positive for marijuana.

Both suspects were handcuffed and separated from one another.

According to authorities, the driver declined to make a statement and wasn’t questioned by police, while the passenger told officers she knew about the meth pipe and marijuana, but denied any knowledge of the large amount of methamphetamine in the trunk. She also denied any knowledge of the scale police found in her purse, but admitted that the purse was hers.

Both suspects were arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and were charged the following day with one count of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, a second-degree felony, along with one count of misdemeanor possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.

The Washington City K-9 team also assists the Washington County Drug Task Force and was working in that capacity when the stop took place. The case falls under Operation Pipeline, a national highway interdiction program supported by the Drug Enforcement Administration. Seizures from private vehicles are reported to Operation Pipeline by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies operating along the highways and interstates most frequently used to transport illegal drugs and their proceeds.

Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams said that a number of these drug seizures, including the stop on Dec. 11, would not be possible were it not “for our K-9 partners,” adding that these highly-trained K-9 teams are a valuable resource when it comes to drug interdiction and other police work.

Cordero and Armenta appeared in 5th District Court Friday and are scheduled to appear for a felony roll call hearing Wednesday. Both suspects remain in custody on $10,000 bail each.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A local man is in jail after the U-Haul truck he rented was reported stolen.

Nearly a month after the truck left the lot, the rental company called police to report that it had not been returned. On Monday, officers responded to the report of a vehicle theft involving the U-Haul truck, which was rented on Nov. 18 but was not returned at its expected time four days later, according to charging documents submitted to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.

Through the course of the investigation, officers learned that several employees of the rental company attempted to contact the individual who rented the vehicle – Matthew Newtown-Carrillo, 19, of St. George – but were unsuccessful.

The truck was officially reported stolen Monday, and the truck’s description, rental information and license plate number were listed in NCIC, the national crime computer that can be accessed by law enforcement nationwide.

The 20-plus day delay in reporting the truck as stolen isn’t that uncommon, St. George Police Officer Tiffany Akin said, as the rental company will generally make every attempt — and even multiple attempts – to contact the customer before going to the police.

Later on Monday, the report states, officers spotted a U-Haul truck parked at a motel on St. George Boulevard, and after confirming the truck’s license plate number, officers located Carrillo in one of the motel rooms.

According to police, Carrillo admitted to keeping the truck beyond the return date and said he knew he should have taken it back. He went on to explain he kept the truck because all of his belongings were still inside it, Atkin said, and with no other place to store the items, the moving truck served as a makeshift storage unit.

Carrillo told police that the truck keys were in the motel room that he was staying in temporarily, which was also listed under his name.

While young adults under the age of 25 are typically prohibited from renting a car due to minimum age requirements set by a number of larger car rental agencies, U-Haul’s age requirements are much different. To rent a trailer the driver must be 16, and for a moving truck the minimum age is 18.

The U-Haul truck was impounded by police and the suspect was transported and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility facing one second-degree felony count of theft. He remains in custody on $10,000 bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A Cedar City man already on probation for a previous offense was arrested on multiple warrants after he failed to appear in court on charges related to a 2018 motor-vehicle crash involving a stolen car that crashed into a home, causing more that $50,000 in damage.

On Friday night just before 10 p.m., officers arrested 21-year-old Falon Courtney on a warrant issued out of 5th District Court in Cedar City after he failed to appear for a status review hearing. Courtney was facing two second-degree felonies that include criminal mischief and receiving or transferring stolen property for the vehicle theft, as well as a misdemeanor charge for allegedly failing to remain at the scene of an accident.

After a myriad of continuances and status hearings, the suspect was released at the end of September, and two weeks later a warrant was issued for his arrest after he failed to appear for a status review hearing in October.

The 2018 case involves an incident where officers were dispatched to a report that a vehicle had crashed into a house September 15, 2018. Responders arrived to find a vehicle next to the home on South 500 West in Cedar City with the driver having fled the scene, according to the 911 caller’s statement to police.

Police also determined the damage to the property to be in excess of $50,000. During the accident investigation, they were able to determine the vehicle was traveling at a high rate of speed when the driver slowed down about 50 feet before the turn in the road, but lost control of the car and skid off the roadway before sliding into the landscaped area of the yard. Officers also determined the vehicle to be going at such a high rate of speed that it traveled 30 feet and continued up a hill where it ultimately struck the house.

Officers also learned there were two men in the car when the incident took place.

Shortly after the crash, police said they first located Brennen Teeples in the area with injuries consistent with a car accident, observing a layer of fine dust over his person and the strong smell of airbag gas. The vehicle at the scene of the accident had its airbag deployed. Teeples told officers he was in the area when the crash occurred, but denied being inside the car. Teeples was later arrested and transported to jail.

Courtney told police he and Teeples were in the car together, and were stopped by a motorcycle officer earlier. But before the officer reached the vehicle, Teeples allegedly told the suspect the car was stolen and they fled with the vehicle.

He also claimed Teeples was driving fast and when they hit a bump in the road and lost control, the car went crashing into a house before both fled the scene. It was only later that Courtney learned that Teeples had been arrested for the crash.

Teeples spent more than five months in jail, but the case against him was dismissed on March 19.

Courtney was arrested October 18, 2018 after police said an officer recognized him as being one of the alleged occupants in the stolen car that that fled from a traffic stop and then crashed into the house months before. The officer was the same one as that which had pulled over the stolen vehicle the month before. The officer was also aware police were searching for the suspect on a felony warrant for a 2017 residential burglary.

After fleeing from the officer on foot, Courtney was arrested minutes later when he “eventually ran out of energy and gave up,” the officer noted in the report.

Court records indicate that during the October 2018 arrest, Courtney, “admitted to being an occupant, observing me trying to make the traffic stop, running from me and crashing into the residence.”

Charges would not be filed in the case for several more months, as investigators were still in the process of analyzing the evidence to determine who was driving at the time of the crash.

Friday’s arrest was also for a second warrant which was issued for a probation violation on a 2017 case where the defendant pleaded guilty to several charges after he was caught burglarizing a home with the residents asleep in their bedroom. These included second-degree felony for burglary of a dwelling, a third-degree felony for theft and multiple misdemeanors for burglary of a vehicle, possession of a controlled substance, criminal mischief and minor consuming alcohol.

He was sentenced on the charges in September 2017 and ordered to serve 365 days in jail, with credit for 60 days, and then placed on 36-months probation. He was also ordered to pay $1,129 in fines while more than $24,000 in fines was suspended. He allegedly violated his probation and then failed to appear for the hearing scheduled at the end of October, at which point a warrant was issued for his arrest.

The burglary occurred July 30, 2017 when officers were dispatched to a home on Mule Train Drive in Enoch at around 3:30 a.m. after the homeowners woke to find a male subject in their bedroom.

“Falon said he had been in the house for 30 minutes (before he was caught),” according to the court documents.

The homeowner located Courtney allegedly exiting a basement window and was able to detain him until officers arrived on scene where they found the suspect sitting by the fence next to the garage.

Courtney admitted to consuming alcohol and unlawfully entering the residence with the intent to commit a theft, and told officers he entered the vehicle in the garage from the passenger side, where homeowners told police there was $400 missing from a purse in the car, the exact amount of cash office allege they found on the suspect during the arrest.

Courtney remains in custody at the Iron County Jail on $20,000 bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — The quick actions of police officers in Cedar City prevented a domestic disturbance from escalating any further when they responded to a report involving an alleged assault on a pregnant woman by a boyfriend who threatened others with a knife.

The incident began shortly before midnight Friday morning when officers were dispatched to a domestic disturbance involving the suspect, later identified as 22-year-old Jose Hernandez, who had allegedly assaulted his girlfriend. Officers were also advised that the 911 caller reported the suspect had a knife, according to charging documents submitted to the Iron County Attorney’s Office for review.

Officer arrived at the home to find Hernandez in the doorway still holding the knife, while the suspect’s mother was trying to hold him back. As the mother did so, Hernandez was repeatedly ordered to drop the knife.

With the mother behind the suspect, the first officer deployed the taser, which had no effect until a second officer deployed their taser. This caused the suspect to drop to the ground and release the knife.

With the suspect in custody, officers began speaking to witnesses and learned that a fight broke out when the suspect’s girlfriend accused him of sleeping with a runaway juvenile, at which point Hernandez attempted to take the keys to the girlfriend’s vehicle and then attacked the girlfriend as he did so.

A family member attempted to intervene and was pushed by Hernandez, who then grabbed a knife, police say. Police also learned from witnesses that three young children were upstairs and could hear the alleged assault taking place. After police were called, the suspect went to the front door to wait for the officers, still holding the knife, and told a family member he wanting to “do a suicide by police,” the report states.

After Hernandez was transported to Cedar City Hospital for evaluation and then medically cleared, he was booked into the Iron County Jail facing multiple charges, including third-degree felony aggravated assault. He also faces six misdemeanor charges that include assault, assault on a pregnant person, three counts of commission of domestic violence in the presence of a child and interfering with an arresting officer.

The suspect remains in custody without bail.

Domestic violence and the holidays 

One common perception is that domestic violence calls, similar to Friday’s incident, spike during the holidays.

Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Del Schlosser said there is a slight increase in the number of domestic reports that deputies respond to during the holiday months, which he said can often be attributed to the added stress many feel during the holidays, including financial stress.

What officers see more often, he said, is an increase in the level of violence during domestic-related calls, and that alcohol plays a role in many of these types of calls.

“Alcohol use seems to always play a role in the severity of the injuries when we are out on many of these calls,” he said. “And the more alcohol that is involved, the more severe are the injuries in many cases.”

At first glance, it would make sense that domestic-related violence would increase during November and December, being there is the added stress associated with family tensions, money issues and crowded homes.

However, a number of studies have shown that in fact — the exact opposite is true.

According to the National Resource Center on Domestic Violence, there is not one national study that links the holidays with an increase in domestic violence, and that most of the data the organization found came from the personal experience of those that work in the field, such as shelter advocates, case workers or officers.

The evidence suggests that a majority of domestic violence calls are reported at night and on the weekend, with the highest number of domestic violence calls reported in July.

On average, domestic violence calls on Thanksgiving, Christmas and Valentine’s Day were slightly below the general trend of any ordinary non-holiday. Once the holidays are over, however, there is typically a 5% increase in call volume that continues for about two weeks.

Research also suggests there is a direct link between increased alcohol use and the use of violence, supporting Schlosser’s comments.

Depression and shorter days

Schlosser did say that depression seems to be a factor in a higher number of calls officers respond to, including family disturbances. This is not only during the holidays, he said, but during the winter months in general.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A Mexican national arrested in Iron County last month after 5 pounds of heroin and fentanyl was allegedly discovered in a hidden compartment inside his vehicle has been indicted in federal court.

A federal warrant for the arrest of Tonatiuh Tacuba Palacios, 28, of Mexico, was filed Monday after the defendant was indicted in federal court on one count of possession of heroin with intent to distribute and one count of possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.

Palacios appeared last week for an initial appearance before U.S. District Judge Paul D. Kohler, where he pleaded not guilty to the charges. He will be represented by defense attorney LaMar Winward, and the court also ordered the defendant to be detained in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The indictment stems from a traffic stop Dec. 6 when a Utah Highway Patrol trooper patrolling Interstate 15 in Iron County noticed a vehicle with a windshield that was cracked and split in a number of locations that were within the view of the driver.

During the stop, the driver told police he didn’t have insurance or a valid driver’s license and instead gave the trooper his passport issued out of Mexico, according to charging documents filed in 5th District Court in Cedar City.

With no insurance or valid licence, the trooper called for a tow truck to impound the vehicle and inventoried its contents while the tow was en route.

A K-9 unit was also deployed, and during a sniff around the vehicle, the dog jumped into the rear cargo area and indicated to the presence of narcotics somewhere in the vehicle’s interior.

During a subsequent search, the trooper located a void inside of the rear interior panel that was created by removing the speaker and foam blocks. Inside of the makeshift compartment officers found 2.5 pounds of a substance that later field-tested positive for heroin. Also discovered was 2.5 pounds of pills inside packaging that was consistent with fentanyl; however, field testing of the pills was not feasible due to safety concerns, the trooper noted in the report.

A second void was discovered on the bottom of the rear seat, where the foam had been cut out and removed to create a space that was empty at the time of the search.

The suspect was arrested and transported to the Iron County Jail and held without bail, as the suspect was deemed a flight risk. The trooper noted that Palacios was a Mexican national with no ties to Iron County, and the amount of narcotics recovered is often associated with ties to major criminal organizations that would likely provide substantial resources to help the suspect evade capture.

Palacios was charged in 5th District Court in Cedar City the following day with two second-degree felony counts of possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance. He was also charged with a misdemeanor count of altering a vehicle for contraband and other vehicle offenses, according to charging documents filed with the court shortly after the arrest.

Once the federal case was filed, the state charges were dismissed Dec. 23.

The defendant is scheduled to appear before Magistrate Judge Paul Kohler for a detention hearing set for Jan. 13.

The local street value of the narcotics was estimated to be more than $500,000, the report said, and the defendant allegedly possessed what was confirmed to be more than 1,100 grams of fentanyl, nearly three times the amount required to charge him in federal court. If convicted, each charge carries a sentence of 10 years to life in federal prison.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A local woman appeared in court Friday accused of stealing the same vehicle weeks apart, prompting two agencies to conduct separate investigations in Washington City and St. George.

Zoie Fryer, 20, appeared in 5th District Court Friday facing two second-degree felony counts of theft of a motor vehicle and two misdemeanor counts of theft.

The charges stem from two incidents, the first of which took place Dec. 6 when officers responded to a report of a stolen vehicle that was located in the area of 280 North. They found a black Dodge four-door passenger car matching the description and tag number of a car reported stolen on Black Friday.

Inside the car, officers found a Walmart shopping bag containing merchandise and a receipt with the last four numbers of a Visa Debit card number printed on it. Officers were able to match the vehicle reportedly stolen to a car parked in front of the store after viewing surveillance footage, which also showed the license plate number that matched the vehicle in the report.

Officers also observed a white female in her early 20s who was seen exiting the vehicle. Once inside Walmart, the footage showed her purchasing items that closely resembled the merchandise found in the recovered vehicle and matched the debit card number found on the receipt.

The woman, later identified as Fryer, was located at her place of employment the following day where she was arrested and transported to jail by police. The vehicle was returned to its registered owner.

On Dec. 11, the defendant was released from jail. One week later, a warrant was issued for her arrest after she failed to appear in court on the charges.

The second incident was reported two days after Fryer’s release when officers in Washington City were dispatched to a reported vehicle theft involving a black Dodge Charger on Dec. 13.

When the vehicle was recovered later, officers allegedly found a backpack and several mail packages belonging to the defendant who they discovered was in jail on the warrant issued for failing to appear on the charges in St. George.

Officers went to the jail to interview Fryer, who told police she found the keys to the Dodge on Black Friday, and said she drove it around “because her vehicle was in the shop,” the officer noted in the report.

She also said she was arrested Dec. 6 in St. George after the vehicle was recovered near 280 North, and was released several days later.

Fryer explained in the interview that she found out where the owners of the vehicle lived and went back to the home and took the vehicle a second time using the keys she still had in her possession.

Fryer also told police she drove the Dodge to Walmart in Washington City and purchased items matching what was listed on the receipt found inside of the car during the investigation in St. George.

At the time of the incident, the store reported that a number of items were not scanned or paid for while the suspect was going through the self-checkout, allegations Fryer denied during the interview with police.

The total value of the stolen items was found to be under $500, and since both the vehicle and the items from Walmart were allegedly stolen out of Washington City, one of the felony and misdemeanor charges listed in the report were submitted by detectives in Washington City.

Other than the recent cases, the defendant has no other known criminal history and remains in jail on $35,000 bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A local couple was charged Monday with felony distribution of heroin, adding to a series of felony charges against the couple since their arrest more than a month ago.

A multimonth investigation by the Washington County Drug Task Force resulted in both Patricia Kerby and Justin Kerby, both 28, being charged.

According to the probable cause statements filed in support of the arrests, Patricia Kerby was charged with a first-degree felony charge due to having a similar drug conviction within the last 10 years, while Justin Kerby was charged with a second-degree felony with no enhancement, as police found no prior history of similar crimes.

Both suspects face other outstanding charges from prior cases as well, including a third-degree felony theft case that stems from an incident Dec. 9 when officers responded to investigate a report of a suspicious person at a coin store in St. George.

According to the report, the suspect, later identified as Patricia Kerby, was inside the store attempting to pawn several silver bars and coins that the store suspected were stolen.

As it turned out, an individual reported a vehicle burglary days before in which silver bars and coins were allegedly taken from the car. Photos of the items were provided to police, who circulated them to local pawn shops in the area.

When officers got to the store, they were able to confirm that the items presented for pawn matched those taken from the vehicle. When confronted by police, Patricia Kerby told officers that her ex-husband, Justin, had received the items from another individual she did not know.

According to police, Justin Kerby was located outside of the store and denied committing any vehicle burglary or knowing the items were stolen. He told officers he purchased the coins from an individual; however, he refused to name the person, nor would he expound on the circumstances surrounding the purchase.

Both were transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility by police on third-degree felony theft. Patricia Kerby was further charged with one count of transporting contraband into a secured facility after corrections staff allegedly found a glass pipe on the suspect during processing at the jail.

With the pair in custody, each was charged with additional felony retail theft stemming from an incident reported in March, when the asset protection manager of the Hurricane Walmart store told officer he was reviewing surveillance footage on a suspicious person report taken inside of the store and saw multiple incidents of alleged theft.

According to the report, the footage showed Patricia and Justin Kerby, along with a third unidentified person, entering the store on March 1. Once inside, the trio separated and then spent the next hour moving throughout the store, concealing merchandise inside of the cart and on their person as well as underneath clothing items or inside other items already in the cart.

“All three individuals acted together in a coordinated effort, obtaining merchandise from disparate areas of the store prior to meeting in a central location,” the officer noted in the statement.

The trio was seen allegedly hiding the merchandise before passing all registers and then exiting the store without paying.

Justin and Patricia Kerby were observed entering the store twice the following day, and the manager said each time they left with items that were never paid for and were seen getting into a silver SUV with Justin Kerby driving.

Officers also learned that Patricia Kerby had prior theft incidents and had been previously banned from all Walmart stores for life.

The suspects could not be located during the investigation, and the charges were submitted to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review at that point. Once the couple was arrested in December, they were booked on the charges involving the Walmart thefts since they were in already in custody.

Additionally, the felony drug distribution charges were added upon the completion of the task force investigation.

Both remain in jail on $5,250 bail and are scheduled to appear in 5th District Court Wednesday.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE —  DNA testing has led to the arrest of a 58-year-old Arizona man identified as the suspect allegedly responsible for two sexual assaults, one in Arizona and another in Cedar City, both of which were reported more than 15 years ago.

David Louis Slade of Eagar, Arizona, was located and arrested by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office in Arizona Thursday in connection with a sexual assault reported just outside Flagstaff, Arizona in April, 2003, as well as a second sexual assault reported in Cedar City the following year, according to a statement recently released by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office.

At the time of the incident in Arizona, an 18-year-old woman reported to police that an unknown male suspect entered her home at night and held her against her will as he sexually assaulted her. Detectives were able to obtain semen left by the suspect that was collected during the investigation.

The evidence was sent to the crime lab where a DNA profile was obtained, but with no suspect to compare it to, they were unable to identify the perpetrator and the investigation remained open.

Meanwhile, in Cedar City, detectives were called to the scene of a sexual assault in July of the following year where a young woman reported that an unknown man entered her apartment during the night and sexually assaulted her.

Cedar City Police Detectives were able to collect biological evidence as they processed the scene which was later analyzed by the Utah State Crime Lab and a DNA profile was obtained.

The DNA profiles from each case were submitted to the national DNA database independently of one another, and authorities in both states were notified that the DNA profile from both cases were from the same suspect. But identifying the suspect would take more than a decade as the cases remained unsolved.

In March 2019, the DNA collected from the 2003 scene was submitted to the DNA Unit at the Arizona Department of Public Safety’s Crime Lab by the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. Authorities requested to have a familial DNA search of any samples taken from inmates or individuals who were either arrested for or convicted of qualifying felony crimes.

During the search, crime lab analysts were able to identify two potential relatives of the unidentified suspect. The individuals discovered had been arrested or convicted of crimes that were not related to either of the sexual assault cases and were related to the suspect on his paternal side.

With the assistance of the Apache County Sheriff’s Office, detectives in Coconino County were able to identify Slade as a possible suspect from the crime lab results, and on Dec. 27, a sample of the suspect’s DNA was obtained and delivered to the crime lab in Arizona.

Three days later, the crime lab reported that the DNA sample provided by Slade matched the samples collected during the 2003 case in Arizona as well as the 2004 Utah case.

On Thursday, Slade was located and arrested by authorities and then appeared before a judge in Apache County. He was then released into the custody of the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office. The suspect was later transported to Flagstaff where he is being held at the Coconino County Jail facing multiple charges including kidnapping, burglary and sexual assault.

In Cedar City, the news that Slade was identified and arrested was “fantastic,” particularly in light of the fact that the case has been open for so many years, Cedar City Police Sgt. Clint Pollock told St. George News Tuesday.

“Anytime we get to close an old case like that it provides the family with some closure,” he said.

The arrest also provides relief for the victim in this case, Pollock said, adding that she can relax and feel secure now that he has been identified and is in custody.

Pollock said charges relating to the Cedar City case will be submitted to the Iron County Attorney’s Office for review.

Coconino authorities extended their appreciation to the Arizona Department of Public Safety Crime Lab “for their expertise and expediency in analyzing the biological evidence.”

Additionally, the Apache County Sheriff’s Office, Springerville Police Department and Eagar Police Department provided assistance in locating and arresting the suspect in the case.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

ST. GEORGE — A local man was arrested Friday in Mesquite for multiple felony offenses after a police officer noticed him sleeping in a vehicle.

Following arrest, it was determined that the suspect was also wanted in St. George for multiple felony charges after he and two accomplices allegedly forced a man at gunpoint into a vehicle where they took the man to various banks in the area to withdraw money.

The Nevada arrest stems from an incident that began Friday morning when an officer in Mesquite noticed a suspicious vehicle parked in the parking lot of one of the area casinos.

According to a press release from Mesquite Police Sgt. Wyatt Oliver, as the officer approached the car, he observed drug paraphernalia lying outside of the vehicle near the drivers door and a man later identified as 26-year-old Jacob Hancock of St. George slumped over the steering wheel. The officer knocked on the window to wake the driver up, and as he did so the officer noticed additional items of drug paraphernalia and multiple knives in the vehicle within reach of the driver.

Hancock was awakened and placed under arrest for possession of drug paraphernalia initially, although the officer suspected he was possibly under the influence of an illegal substance as well.

During a search of Hancock, the officer located what appeared to be methamphetamine, heroin, drug paraphernalia and a loaded .22-caliber pistol, and a search of the vehicle allegedly yielded led more items, including a loaded 9 mm pistol with its serial number removed, a .22-caliber rifle, multiple pry bars and bolt cutters and a Nevada license plate that was take off of a vehicle in Las Vegas.

Hancock was charged in Mesquite with 10 felonies, including two counts of possession of methamphetamine, three counts of possession of heroin, one count of carrying a concealed firearm and one count of possession of a firearm with obliterated serial number.

The suspect was also charged with three counts of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person due to being under the influence of a controlled substance at the time. He also faces one gross misdemeanor count of burglary tools and two misdemeanors, including possession of drug paraphernalia and possession of stolen property.

Hancock was transported to the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas due to the felony charges.

Oliver told St. George News that investigators in Mesquite also learned that Hancock had recently been involved in an alleged crime committed in St. George that was still under investigation.

That investigation began Dec. 23 when detectives in St. George were dispatched to a motel on St. George Boulevard on a reported robbery, St. George Police Officer Tiffany Atkin told St. George News the day of the incident. 

While interviewing witnesses at the scene, officers learned that three suspects, one of which police say was Hancock, entered the motel room armed with handguns, which they pointed at the guest and demanded money from him for “a debt” Hancock claimed the man owed.

Using a stun gun repeatedly during the incident, the man was allegedly forced into a vehicle and was driven to three banks in St. George where the man attempted to cash a check from his wallet and get cash out of the ATM using his debit card – attempts that failed – while the suspects continued shocking the man with the stun gun, court records indicate.

The three suspects returned to the motel and took about $1,500 worth of tools, clothing, electronics and other property from the man, as well as a Kel-Tec handgun and $100 that was transferred from the man’s account.

The suspects took the stolen items to their vehicle and were just about to take the man to another bank to attempt to cash the check when the individual fled into an open room and secured the door before calling police. The investigation continued up until Hancock’s eventually arrest in Nevada.

While in custody for the Mesquite arrest, Hancock allegedly admitted to being at the St. George motel but claimed the man owed him $250 for a paint sprayer and said he took the gun and property as “collateral for the money owed,” the officer noted in the report.

Hancock also denied that the Kel-Tec handgun recovered by officers in Mesquite was the gun taken from the man in the alleged motel robbery.

Following the interview, a search warrant was obtained for Hancock’s residence in St George, where officers recovered tool bags, electronics and a phone that matched the property allegedly taken from the man in the motel, the report said.

A second suspect, Drake Beckler, 29, of St. George, was arrested during the search of Hancock’s residence and was booked into jail on felony narcotics charges. Beckler was later identified as the second suspect allegedly involved in the motel incident after he admitted to being involved in the incident during an interview with police, saying that Hancock told him about the money the man owed him.

Police say that Hancock later admitted that the Kel-Tec was the same gun taken during the alleged robbery, explaining to officers that he altered the gun’s appearance by changing the slide and adding accessories to the firearm. He also admitted that the second firearm recovered in Mesquite during his arrest was the weapon used during the motel incident.

Hancock and Beckler each face multiple felony charges that were submitted to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review, including two first-degree felony counts, one for aggravated robbery and aggravated kidnapping, along with second-degree felony burglary of a dwelling. The suspects also face two third-degree felonies for aggravated assault and theft.

Hancock remains in custody in Clark County, Nevada. Bail on the Utah charges is $72,500. Beckler’s offenses were added while he was in custody in Washington County on the drug charges, and he remains in custody on $70,000 bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.