CEDAR CITY – A 5^th District Judge sentenced a Cedar City man to a minimum of 15 years to life Tuesday for his role in the 2014 murder of Shawn Multine.

Judge Keith Barnes ordered Eric Albert Rodriguez, 31, to spend at least 15 years in the Utah State Penitentiary. The sentence was the minimum Barnes could give for a first-degree felony murder case.

Rodriguez is the second of three defendants to be sentenced for Multine’s murder – the other defendants included the victim’s stepdaughter, Clarissa Bulletts, and her ex-boyfriend, Angelo Seth Carrasco.

Multine’s sister, Shana Multine, and his aunt, Eileen Posvar, addressed the court at Rodriguez’s sentencing, asking that Barnes hold the defendant accountable for his choices.

The two women also spoke directly to the defendant expressing the pain they have felt with the loss of their loved one.

“What he (Rodriguez) did ruined our lives,” Posvar said. “We have to live with this every day knowing that we’ll never see him (Multine) again, that we’ll never talk to him or have him here to laugh or joke with us because of the choice you (Rodriguez) made that night. You also ruined your life, you ruined your family’s life because of the choice you made, and I hope you can live with that – you deserve everything you’re going to get.”

In an emotional plea that touched the hearts of many in the courtroom, Shana Multine spoke about forgiveness of those who killed her big brother.

“It wasn’t right what they (the defendants) did to him that night by taking his life,” Shana Multine said. “Whatever sentencing you give today, it’s not going to bring him back. But I know for us to move on, there’s a time we have to forgive what they’ve done to us as a family and let go of that hatred and all that anger we have towards them. Today I want to say I forgive him (Rodriguez) and what he did to my brother.”

Later in the day, Shana Multine spoke with Cedar City News and shared her personal experience these last two years and the process she went through to find forgiveness.

“His death tore me apart. It shattered my life. I had so much anger and so much hatred,” Shana Multine said. “I had to go to counseling for myself and to find a way to forgive the people who killed my brother. I had to realize that my brother is in a better place and that he’s happy. And I had to learn to let him go and accept what happened in order to forgive them but I knew I had to forgive them or it would destroy me.”

Rodriguez read a two-page letter in court expressing his remorse for his role in Shawn Multine’s death.

“There hasn’t been a day I haven’t thought about how Shawn lost his life,” Rodriguez said. “No one deserves that.”

The defendant’s apology at court Tuesday provided some closure for Shana Multine, allowing her an opportunity to put this part of the case behind her.

“It was an emotional day. This whole thing has been a struggle, but knowing Eric apologized and owned up to his part in my brother’s death made me feel a little better,” Shana Multine said.

According to the charging documents, Bulletts and the two men drove to the area of Shawn Multine’s home located on the 100 East block of 575 North the night of Oct. 26, 2014. Bulletts attempted to lure the victim away from his home to a secluded area via text message.

When that didn’t work, she stayed in the vehicle while Rodriguez and Carrasco went to the home, where Carrasco shot Shawn Multine with a 270 rifle.

Then before leaving, Carrasco assaulted a woman in the home. Rodriguez helped Carrasco dispose of the gun. They returned to Bulletts’ vehicle and fled the scene.

In an interview with Cedar City News following his client’s sentencing, Rodriguez’s attorney Brian Jackson said the case is one of the saddest he has ever worked on.

“It’s just a sad deal,” Jackson said. “Eric did not go to the home that night with the intention of killing Shawn but under state law he is guilty because a murder happened while in the commission of an assault or burglary.”

The night of the murder, Bulletts had told Carrasco and Rodriguez that her stepfather had been molesting her, Jackson said. Angry at hearing the information, the two men had Bulletts drive them to Shawn Multine’s home so they could “assault him.”

But unbeknownst to Rodriguez, Carrasco, who was Bulletts’ boyfriend at the time, had a rifle in the back of the car.

Later, Bulletts admitted to lying to Rodriguez and Carrasco about the sexual allegations against Shawn Multine but by then it was too late, Jackson said.

For Shana Multine, Bulletts’ lie that ultimately resulted in the death of her brother was one of the hardest parts of the case for her to forgive.

“I was so angry. It was eating me up inside to think he died because she had lied about him. It just tore me apart,” Shana Multine said.

The court originally charged the defendant with first-degree felony murder, aggravated burglary for entering a nearby home carrying a baseball bat, and obstruction of justice for helping to hide the gun and denying any involvement in the murder.

As part of the plea agreement, the court dismissed the two lesser charges and Rodriguez pleaded guilty to first-degree felony murder.

Carrasco was arrested the day after the murder while Rodriguez and Bulletts were arrested later the same month on Oct. 31.

Bulletts pleaded guilty to second-degree felonies of manslaughter and obstructing justice in September as part of a plea agreement. She was sentenced to at least a year in prison and a maximum of 15 years on each charge. The sentence is to run concurrent.

Carrasco pleaded guilty to a first-degree felony of aggravated murder last December. He is scheduled for sentencing July 29.

Email: tsullivan@stgnews.com

Twitter: @tracie_sullivan

Ed. Note: Cedar City News | CedarCityUtah.com is a counterpart to St. George News | StGeorgeNews.com.

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ST. GEORGE — When a St. George man and woman reported that their RV had been stolen late Friday night, officers located the RV about a mile away with another man and woman inside. The man located inside told officers it was his RV – that someone had given it away, and when he found it in the desert, he took it back.

Just before 11 p.m., officers responded to the area of Curly Hollow Drive on a reported theft of a motor vehicle, according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrest.

A couple reported that their RV was stolen from the desert about 1/8 mile passed the end of the asphalt, the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement.

The RV was paid for and was found to be registered to the man and woman reporting the crime, the report stated.

After gathering information and entering the RV into the National Crime Information Center, the officer went to Tonaquint Park, 1851 S. Dixie Drive in St. George, and located the RV, according to the statement.

Officers found 40-year-old Justin Tyler Mower and 35-year-old Christina Mae Williams inside the RV.

“Justin stated that the RV was his and that someone gave it away a year ago,” the officer wrote in the statement. “He did not report it stolen. He said that he found it in the desert and took it.”

The duo was arrested and transported to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.

The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Mower of third-degree felony theft. While officers arrested Williams for possession of a stolen vehicle, as of Thursday afternoon no formal charges had been filed, according to Utah Court documents.

Judge Jeffrey Wilcox, of the 5th District Court, ordered $10,000 bail for Mower’s release pending trial.

Mower was found indigent by the court during his initial court appearance Monday and will be represented by court-appointed attorney Douglas Terry.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: kscott@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

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ST. GEORGE — Police deployed a TASER on a Washington City man who was charged with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping Friday morning after the man allegedly held a female acquaintance at knifepoint and directed her to drive him to another location.

Police were dispatched to the area of Vernon Worthen Park located at 300 S. 400 East in St. George on a report of a man possibly experiencing a mental health issue, according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrest.

The man, identified as Tyler James Hoffman, and a female acquaintance were stopped at the park when they spotted an officer in the area.

As the female was pouring water into the engine of her vehicle, Hoffman allegedly pulled a knife from his pocket and ordered the female acquaintance to drive him away from the area, the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement.

“He directed the tip of the blade toward her and then said, ‘Get in the f—— car and drive!’” the officer wrote in the statement.

The female was able to notify another individual of the situation via text message, the report stated. That individual contacted police.

While en route to the area, police learned that Hoffman had an active, third-degree felony extraditable warrant for his arrest issued out of Texas for unauthorized use of a vehicle, according to the statement.

Police located the vehicle which the two were traveling in near the park and attempted to pull the vehicle over, according to the statement. The vehicle eventually pulled over on the east side of Main Street just north of 300 South.

Hoffman reportedly got out of the car and began walking north on a sidewalk on Main Street and refused to comply with officers who were telling him to stop, the report stated.

“Tyler didn’t comply,” the officer stated, “and presented a knife which he raised to his throat. He held the knife to his throat for a few seconds as he continued northbound on Main Street.”

By this time, multiple officers were on scene giving Hoffman commands to stop and drop the knife but Hoffman continued walking, the report stated. An officer subsequently deployed a TASER on Hoffman at the corner of 200 South and Main Street.

Hoffman was safely taken into police custody and was transported to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.

The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Hoffman of first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping and class A misdemeanor failure to stop at the command of law enforcement.

As this report is published, Hoffman remains in police custody, according to booking information.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery. 

Tyler James Hoffman, of Washington, Utah, booking photo posted June 3, 2016 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

Police deployed a TASER on a Washington City man who was subsequently charged with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping after holding an individual at knifepoint, 200 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah, June 3, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

Police deployed a TASER on a Washington City man who was subsequently charged with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping after holding an individual at knifepoint, 200 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah, June 3, 2016 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Police deployed a TASER on a Washington City man who was subsequently charged with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping after holding an individual at knifepoint, 200 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah, June 3, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

Police deployed a TASER on a Washington City man who was subsequently charged with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping after holding an individual at knifepoint, 200 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah, June 3, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

Police deployed a TASER on a Washington City man who was subsequently charged with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping after holding an individual at knifepoint, 200 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah, June 3, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

Police escort a Washington City man to a patrol car after deploying a TASER on the man and arresting him on a first-degree felony count of aggravated kidnapping, 200 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah, June 3, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

Police deployed a TASER on a Washington City man who was subsequently charged with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping after holding an individual at knifepoint, 200 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah, June 3, 2016 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Police escort a Washington City man to a patrol car after deploying a TASER on the man and arresting him on a first-degree felony count of aggravated kidnapping, 200 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah, June 3, 2016 | Photo by Kimberly Scott, St. George News

A Washington City man was arrested and charged with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping after holding an individual at knifepoint, 200 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah, June 3, 2016 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Police deployed a TASER on a Washington City man who was subsequently charged with first-degree felony aggravated kidnapping after holding an individual at knifepoint, 200 S. Main Street, St. George, Utah, June 3, 2016 | Photo by Sheldon Demke, St. George News

Email: kscott@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

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WASHINGTON COUNTY — A Minnesota man traveling along Interstate 15 Friday was arrested on drug distribution charges following a traffic stop after a Utah Highway Patrol trooper allegedly intercepted six packages of marijuana in the man’s vehicle.

At approximately 8:21 p.m., the trooper initiated a traffic stop of a vehicle just past Toquerville near northbound I-15 milepost 29 for speeding, according to a probable cause statement filed by UHP in support of the arrest.

The trooper talked with the driver, identified as Manuel Ocampo, of San Diego, California, and his passenger, identified as Roel Caburian Malapit, of St. Paul, Minnesota, the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement.

Ocampo apologized for speeding and said he was in a hurry to get to his destination, the trooper stated.

While speaking with the occupants, the trooper smelled the odor of raw marijuana and asked Ocampo to exit the car to speak with him.

“He told me he was on his way to Chicago,” the trooper wrote in the statement. “I confronted him with the odor of marijuana and he said he’d had some in the car, but had used it all.”

A probable cause search of the vehicle was conducted, and six packages of marijuana were located in a duffle bag in the trunk of the car, the report stated. The marijuana allegedly weighed approximately 7 pounds.

Ocampo and Malapit were both arrested and transported to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.

The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Malapit of third-degree felony drug possession with the intent to distribute and class B misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.

As of Wednesday, formal charges had not been filed against Ocampo, according to Utah Court documents. He was released from police custody.

As this report is published, Malapit remains in police custody and is expected to appear before 5th District Judge Jeffrey Wilcox for a hearing Monday afternoon.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: kscott@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

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ST. GEORGE — A Washington County man is facing first-degree felony attempted murder after allegedly stabbing a man multiple times over the weekend at a Mesquite, Nevada, nightclub. The stabbing victim was transported to the hospital by medical helicopter in serious condition.

During routine patrol early Sunday morning, a Mesquite Police officer found a man on West Pioneer Boulevard who appeared to have been stabbed multiple times, according to a statement issued by the Mesquite Police Department Tuesday.

Officers quickly determined the stabbing victim had just been involved in a physical altercation at Envy Nightclub and Lounge, 792 W. Pioneer Blvd., and was attempting to chase down his alleged assailant on foot when the officer spotted him, according to police.

Mesquite Fire transported the stabbing victim to Mesa View Regional Hospital where he was then transported via Mercy Air to University Medical Center in Las Vegas, police said.

Detectives processed the multiple crime scenes, collecting evidence from the nightclub, the path the alleged suspect took as he fled the scene, along with evidence from the stabbing victim.

Through obtained evidence and witness statements, detectives were able to identify the alleged suspect as 40-year-old Jason Lee Reynolds, of LaVerkin, police said, and obtained a search warrant for his vehicle.

Mesquite detectives working with law enforcement in Utah were able to communicate with Reynolds, who turned himself in to the Washington County Sheriff’s Office later that day.

Reynolds is facing charges of first-degree felony attempted murder along with a felony count of battery with a deadly weapon, according to the Mesquite Police Department.

Reynolds is currently in custody at the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility awaiting extradition to Nevada.

According to Utah Court documents, this is not Reynolds’ first run-in with the law.

Reynolds was arrested for first-degree felony rape in 1999 but was found not guilty of the charge in 2000, according to court documents. However, in 2002, Reynolds was convicted of two second-degree felony counts of forcible sex abuse.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: kscott@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

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SALT LAKE CITY – Gov. Gary R. Herbert has issued a call for a special session of the Utah Legislature. The session will be held on July 13 to consider measures related to unmanned aircraft near wildland fires, among other issues.

“This summer, wildfires in the state have become significantly worse due to drones interrupting air operations,” Herbert said. “It is dangerous and completely unacceptable, and this legislation takes steps to ensure that our emergency management personnel are safe and empowered to do their jobs effectively.”

The announcement comes in the wake of two new drone incursions over the Saddle Fire near Pine Valley that occurred Friday and Sunday. Both instances resulted in a temporary halt to airborne firefighting operations.

They are the fourth and fifth drone incursions at the Saddle Fire to be reported by fire officials.

The third drone incursion, which occurred June 20, was reported as “a near miss” with a helicopter.

Chris Henrie, who was the incident commander over the Saddle Fire at the time, said the drone sighting came at a crucial moment when aircraft were trying to drop retardant on fire that day.

Instead of being allowed to do the job, the aircraft had to turn back.

“It jeopardizes the safety for our firefighters and the public,” Henrie said. “Please do not fly drones in our area again.”

A 5-mile temporary flight restriction zone currently exists around the Saddle Fire.

Under state law, operating a drone over a wildfire zone is a class-B misdemeanor offense. Forcing any aircraft involved in fire suppression operations to change course is a class-A misdemeanor.

A third-degree felony results if the drone comes into contact with the aircraft. This is followed by a second-degree felony should a crash result from the aircraft-drone contact.

Due to continuing drone incursions over wildfire scenes, the governor is seeking enhanced penalties for drone operators who interfere with firefighting operations, which will be addressed in the July 13 session.

The Saddle Fire is currently at 2,295 acres in size and 45 percent contained as of Monday morning. Currently 211 personnel from multiple firefighting agencies are assigned to the fire.

Voluntary evacuations are currently in place in Pine Valley south on Lloyd Canyon Drive at the Mahogany Lane intersection and south on Oakridge Drive and Mahogany Lane. Closures in the Pine Valley Recreation area, including campgrounds, are being lifted but trails in the immediate fire area will remain closed to the public.

Other matters to be addressed in the special session:

• Legislation regarding a grandparent’s rights to visits grandchildren adopted by a family member of the child.
• Economic development legislation that would provide sales and use tax exemptions for a qualifying data center.
• A technical correction to the controlled substance database for probationers and parolees.
• Amendments to the security of investments in continuing care facilities.
• The addition of an enacting clause to 2016 House Bill 310, Tax Credit Review Amendments.
• Changes to the Judicial Nominating Commission which would allow additional nominees to be considered when simultaneous appointments are made.
• Reporting changes to the Justice Reinvestment Initiative.
• An appropriation of funds for the purpose of constructing an arena at the Utah State Fairpark.

Email: mkessler@stgnews.com

Twitter: @MoriKessler

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CEDAR CITY – A Cedar City man, already in jail on felony rape charges, now faces additional felony counts for sex crimes in a separate case involving children.

Cedar City Police arrested John Gregory Adams, 33, last week for sexual abuse of a child, a first-degree felony, and on two counts of lewdness involving a child, both third-degree felonies.

Adams was in the Iron County Correctional Facility on a $100,000 cash-only bail for three counts of first-degree felony rape when authorities slapped the additional charges on him. Bail was increased to $130,000 cash-only.

CCPD was also the arresting agency in the first case for what court documents allege was a series of incidents where Adams raped a female adult victim multiple times over the course of six years.

According to charging documents filed in 5^th District Court for the second case, Adams denied to police having molested any children or exposing his genitals to them. However, Adams allegedly admitted in a private text to another individual that he had exposed himself to children several times, according to the documents.

“In a text to (another individual) on 06/16/16, John admitted to pulling his pants down in front of children saying, ‘I feel sick about it’,” the documents state.

Adams also allegedly confessed to viewing child pornography during the recorded interview at the police station.

While the suspect denied inappropriately touching any child, two children interviewed at the Iron County Children’s Justice Center described several incidents where Adams allegedly “abused” them.

In the first case involving rape, charging documents allege an adult female told officers at CCPD she had been the victim of repeated rapes over a number of years.

Adams allegedly gave the victim a “full written disclosure of all the incidents,”which she, in turn, gave police as evidence in the case.

Court records state Adams admitted to police that he penned the document.

Email: tsullivan@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews | @tracie_sullivan

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CEDAR CITY – Police arrested a 19-year-old Las Vegas man Sunday after he and two juveniles he had brought with him to Cedar City allegedly tried to break into a local restaurant to steal money.

Cedar City Police booked Ian Michael Mack into the Iron County Correctional Facility on $50,000 bail. Mack is facing charges for aggravated burglary, a second-degree felony, and possession of a controlled substance, a class B misdemeanor.

Both juveniles were taken to the Iron County Youth Detention Center. A 17-year-old male is looking at the same charges as Mack, while a 16-year-old male was arrested for aggravated attempted burglary in addition to possession of marijuana, a class A misdemeanor.

The juveniles will likely remain in detention, at least until they see a judge who will determine when and who they will be released to, Cpl. Clint Pollock said.

Pollock, who made the arrest, said he was called to the scene at around 11 a.m. on a report of suspicious activity outside Costa Vida restaurant located on South Providence Center Drive.

Police were talking to one of the male suspects in the parking lot of the restaurant that was closed at the time when they realized there was a person on the roof who was later identified as Mack, a former employee of Costa Vida, Pollock said.

The third suspect returned to the scene at which time police determined he was also part of the incident.

“Part of the reason they (suspects) drove up here was because they were planning to break in to the restaurant,” Pollock said. “But the two juveniles also wanted to check out the track and the track team at SUU (Southern Utah University). They were thinking about attending the university.”

A further search of the vehicle allegedly found two CO2 pistols and marijuana joints.

“The aggravated charge is because they had the CO2 pistols that looked like the real thing,” Pollock said. “It’s amazing how real they look. If I would have seen that gun I would’ve thought it was real and would have responded accordingly.”

Email: tsullivan@stgnews.com

Twitter: @tracie_sullivan

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MESQUITE, Nev. – After crashing into private property, a alleged drunk driver got the attention of Mesquite Police officers Sunday by hitting and biting them after he was captured.

Officers arrested Thomas Collins, 48, of Mesquite after he was observed by citizens crashing his vehicle into a tree and a sign, causing significant property damage, according to a press release issued Tuesday by Mesquite Police Officer Quinn Averett.

Collins fled from the officers on foot, but an officer was able to locate and stop him.

While Collins was partially handcuffed, he was able to break free and strike the officer multiple times in the head with the officer’s handcuffs. Collins also bit the officer on the arm, the release states.

When officers finally got Collins under control, they transported him to the Mesquite Detention Center. Collins was not done, however, as he allegedly assaulted a corrections officer, striking the officer multiple times before the officer was able to control him.

Collins has been charged with multiple felonies including one count of battery with a deadly weapon, one count of resisting a police officer with a deadly weapon and one count of battery by a prisoner. He also is facing one misdemeanor count of battery on a Police Officer, one misdemeanor count of duty upon damaging unattended property, and one misdemeanor count of obstructing a public officer.

Collins was transported and booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas Nevada due to the felony charges.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.

Email: rwayman@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews | @NewsWayman

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

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ST. GEORGE — A grocery store employee was arrested for felony embezzlement last week after she allegedly assigned customer rewards points to a personal card and then used those points for purchases.

Police responded to the Smith’s Food and Drug store located at 350 N. Sandhill Blvd. in Mesquite on July 12 to investigate an alleged theft, according to a statement issued by the Mesquite Police Department Monday.

An investigation into the incident showed an employee of Smith’s – identified as 41-year-old Lorie Dominguez, of Scenic, Arizona – had been assigning Smith’s card points to her own personal Smith’s card, then using the points as personal cash purchases, Mesquite Police said.

“Due to the high amount of cash purchases made,” police said, “the crime amounted to felony embezzlement.”

Dominguez was arrested and charged with a felony count of embezzlement. She was transported and booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas on the felony count.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: kscott@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

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CEDAR CITY – A 5^th District judge is holding a Cedar City man in jail without a chance to bail out after police arrested him for distribution of methamphetamines on Tuesday – the day after he had bailed out for several other drug charges.

Judge Keith Barnes put a no bail hold on Jose De Jesus Garcia following his arrest Tuesday for the first-degree felony charge. Barnes’ decision came after the 29-year-old had been released from the Iron County Correctional Facility 24 hours earlier on $70,000 bail for two other cases in April and June.

In addition, police arrested Garcia March 5 for a class A misdemeanor for possession of marijuana, a class B misdemeanor for possession of paraphernalia and a class C misdemeanor for driving on revocation. He bailed out March 14 on $1,670 bail.

Garcia was later charged and the case was settled Thursday after the defendant entered a plea agreement with the Iron County Attorney’s Office, pleading guilty to the class A misdemeanor. The other two charges were dismissed.

In the other two cases, court records show while Garcia was out on bail in the March case, the County Attorney’s Office brought additional charges of possession or use of a controlled substance, a third-degree felony, and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.

The County Attorney’s Office filed a summons April 22 for Garcia to turn himself into jail and appear in court on those charges.

Garcia was arrested that same day for more charges involving three drug buys in January where the suspect had allegedly bought methamphetamine from confidential informants, according to the charging documents in the case filed in 5^th District Court.

The county attorney later rolled the charges from the two cases into one. At that time, Garcia remained in jail on a $20,000 bondable bail.

More felony drug charges were filed June 7 after authorities learned Garcia had allegedly possessed methamphetamine, marijuana and tobacco while in jail waiting for his April case to be adjudicated.

The charging documents allege Garcia’s “girlfriend” who had been arrested and brought in to the jail in the previous two days had “distributed the narcotics” to him.

Barnes again set a bail on Garcia, this time for $50,000, bringing the total to $70,000 between the two cases.

Court records show Garcia requested he be allowed to go through drug court as an alternative to the traditional court where the charges would be reduced and he would likely be sent to in-patient treatment.

Barnes however, denied the request prompting Garcia to send two letters begging the judge to reconsider. As of publication, Garcia’s request had not yet been granted.

Garcia has a preliminary hearing scheduled July 27 for the recent charge and an arraignment and jury trial set for Sept. 22 in the April and June cases.

Email: tsullivan@stgnews.com

Twitter: @tracie_sullivan

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ST. GEORGE — A St. George man was arrested Sunday morning after he allegedly entered an occupied vehicle parked in a St. George Wal-Mart parking lot and attempted to kidnap the person inside.

Prior to the attempted kidnapping incident, a store employee reportedly thought the man was trying to rob the store when he allegedly put on a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle mask and tried to enter the store through a locked door.

At approximately 11:49 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to the Bloomington Wal-Mart located at 2610 S. Pioneer Road on a report of a suspicious person, according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrest.

A female customer reported that a man – described as being in his 30s, thin with blond hair, wearing no shoes and “really dirty” – had climbed into her vehicle while she was parked in the store’s parking lot, the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement.

The woman told police that when she first pulled into a parking stall on the south side of the parking lot, she saw the man pacing around and that “he seemed a little out of it,” according to the statement.

As she was sitting in her vehicle reviewing her shopping list on her cellphone, the man allegedly walked up to her passenger window and began staring at her, the report stated. When she looked up at him, he ran away.

However, when she looked back down at her cellphone, the man – later identified as 28-year-old Jace Michael Farr – opened her passenger door and “grabbed onto her right arm tightly” with a “crazy look in his eyes” and facial expression that never changed, according to the statement.

“The female victim stated the male began trying to pull her out of the vehicle,” the arresting officer stated. “The female stated the male did not make any demands, did not ask her to exit the vehicle, and stated he did not say anything to her.”

As she “screamed at the top of her lungs” and tried pushing and hitting the man, he allegedly climbed completely into her vehicle, grabbed her with both hands and continued trying to pull her out of her vehicle, according to the report.

“The female victim stated she did not feel like Jace (Farr) was trying to take her vehicle or any property, however she stated she felt like he was trying to take her,” the officer stated.

The female customer drove her vehicle in reverse and began backing out of the stall while continuing to push and hit Farr, who “eventually” fell out of the vehicle, according to the statement, and the woman was able to drive away and call police.

When an officer arrived on scene, he was directed by another citizen to a man whom the citizen said “seemed off” and “appeared out of it,” according to the report. The man was sitting on the curb of the south side of the store. As the officer began to approach, he was stopped by a Wal-Mart associate who pointed at the man and also said he had been acting “very strangely.”

“She stated at one point he had approached the north doors of the store, which are locked at night, holding his hands underneath his shirt,” the officer wrote in the statement. “She stated he pulled out a brown bag and removed a ninja turtle mask and put it on. He then attempted to enter the doors three different times but they would not open.”

The employee told the officer that she was alarmed by the man’s behavior and thought he may have been trying to rob the store, according to the statement. As the officer was speaking with the employee, he kept an eye on the man, who then stood up from the curb and began to walk away.

When the officer told him to stop, the man began to run. The officer chased the man behind the back of the store, repeatedly telling him to stop, the report stated. The officer stopped pursuing the man because the area was not well lit, and he could not maintain visibility of him.

The man eventually stopped and began walking toward the officer with his hands raised, yelling, “Leave me alone, don’t ask me questions, and I have a right to silence,” according to the report. The officer told him to get on the ground, but the man refused and continued to stand with his arms raised, screaming and yelling.

When other officers arrived, the man was taken into custody without further incident, according to the statement. The man, whom officers were able to identify as Farr based on previous dealings with him, was taken to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George for medical clearance.

“Jace’s (Farr) behavior seemed erratic as he was calm for one moment then screaming and yelling the next,” the officer stated. “Jace (Farr) also would speak to himself and state things that did not make sense or sounded like random mumblings.”

Farr was transported and booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.

The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Farr of third-degree felony attempted kidnapping, two class A misdemeanor counts of burglary of a vehicle and failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, a class B misdemeanor count of interference with an arresting officer and a class C misdemeanor for intoxication.

According to Utah Court documents, Farr has a lengthy criminal record involving drug- and alcohol-related offenses.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: kscott@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

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ST. GEORGE — A St. George man was allegedly caught in the act of burglarizing vehicles in a St. George neighborhood Sunday morning. While talking with police, the man reportedly took off running, initiating a police chase.

At approximately 7:40 a.m. Sunday, alert residents at Sunny Dale Park Condominiums on the 1100 North block of 1400 West called police to report a man looking in vehicles parked in the area, the St. George Police Department said in a statement Monday.

Officers responded to the area and located the suspect, later identified as 29-year-old Phillip James Jolley, inside a car that did not belong to him. Jolley allegedly told police the car belonged to his brother-in-law, but police were able to determine the car belonged to someone else.

While being questioned by police, Jolley allegedly gave officers a false name and false date of birth before taking off running, according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrest.

“(Jolley) asked to throw a water bottle away in a nearby trash can,” the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement. “I followed him and he began running. I yelled at him to stop multiple times and he kept running. I followed him for some distance.”

As Jolley ran from police, he allegedly jumped over a vinyl fence and damaged it, the officer stated. Officers were able to catch up to Jolley and apprehend him.

“Our officers pursued,” the Police Department said Monday, “and (Jolley) ran out of gas way before (officers) did.”

Inside the vehicle Jolley had been located in, officers recovered two credit cards that appeared to have been taken from another vehicle, along with electronics that had been stolen from a third vehicle in the area, according to the probable cause statement.

“Phillip (Jolley) admitted to checking car doors looking for change,” the arresting officer stated. “He also admitted that he had given me the wrong name because he thought he had a warrant.”

Jolley was arrested and booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.

The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Jolley of third-degree felony unlawful acquisition of a finance card without consent, four class A misdemeanor counts of vehicle burglary and failure to stop at the command of law enforcement, two class B misdemeanor counts of theft and criminal mischief and one class C misdemeanor count of giving false personal identity to police.

As this report is published, Jolley remains in police custody and is expected to appear before 5th District Judge Jeffrey Wilcox for a hearing Monday afternoon.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: kscott@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

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CEDAR CITY – Police recently arrested a Cedar City man after he allegedly entered a home without permission and took several items, including cell phones, prescription medication and canned food.

Andrew Lee Shiozaki, 24, faces a second-degree felony charge for residential burglary and a class B misdemeanor charge for possession of drug paraphernalia following an incident on Aug. 13 where he allegedly went into someone’s home without permission and took several items.

Cedar City Police arrested Shiozaki the same day as the incident. He bailed out of the Iron County Correctional Facility on a $10,000 bail bond.

According to the charging documents made publicly available this weekcx, police responded to a 911 call about a residential burglary. The alleged victim told authorities Shiozaki had gone into her home without her permission and taken several items.

The victim said she had called the suspect on the phone after she realized the items were missing. Shiozaki admitted to her that he had taken the items, she said. Shiozaki then returned the cell phones to her.

“She attempted to call the police before he returned so that we could meet him at her house to take him into custody,” police write in their statement. “However, due to the turnaround time from when dispatch received her call and officers responded he had already returned with the phones and then left again.”

The victim told police Shiozaki was staying in a local motel and accidentally left his room key in her home when he initially took the items.

Shiozaki later admitted to police taking the cell phones but said he was “just borrowing them but they (homeowners) did not know that he had them,” the documents state.

Upon arresting Shiozaki, police searched him and found a clear plastic baggie in his front coin pouch pocket with white powder residue inside, according to court records.

“Andrew identified this powder residue as Methamphetamine,” police said in their statement. “He stated that he was simply trying to get rid of the bag but did not have a garbage to throw it in so he put in his pocket.”

Officers received permission to search Shiozaki’s home and vehicle, where a police K-9 helped authorities allegedly find hypodermic needles and a small amount of controlled residue and a metal spoon. Shiozaki denied the paraphernalia belonged to him.

According to the court record, police only charged Shiozaki for having the baggie of residue on his person that he identified as methamphetamine.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: tsullivan@stgnews.com

Twitter: @tracie_sullivan

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ST. GEORGE — A 19-year-old man was arrested on a variety of charges Sunday after he allegedly tried to pull a loaded handgun on police officers responding to a domestic disturbance call in Mesquite, Nevada.

At approximately 11:45 p.m. Sunday, officers were called to an apartment complex to investigate the report of a domestic disturbance that was allegedly taking place between two men, according to a statement issued by the Mesquite Police Department Thursday.

While the officers were speaking with the two men involved in the altercation, one of the men – identified as Colten Mora, 19 of Caliente, Nevada – attempted to pull out a handgun that had been concealed in the waist area of his pants, according to the Police Department.

“An officer was close enough to the suspect,” police said, “that the officer was able to quickly revert to his training and grab the suspect’s hand and forcefully remove the handgun.”

Police gained control of Mora and were able to safely take him into custody.

“Upon closer examination, the officers found the handgun was fully loaded and had been stolen out of Lincoln County, Nevada,” police said.

Mora was subsequently arrested and charged with two felony counts of carrying a concealed weapon (firearm) and possession of a stolen firearm, along with three misdemeanor counts of resisting arrest, possession of drug paraphernalia and battery domestic violence.

Due to the felony charges, Mora was transported and booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: kscott@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

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Updated 9/20/16 at 1:15 p.m. with dashcam footage (see above)

IRON COUNTY — A 25-year-old man led police on a high-speed chase Monday afternoon for what authorities said was for no apparent reason other than he “wanted his freedom.”

Iron County Sheriff’s Deputy Doug Twitchell arrested Tyler Paul Miller from Alexandria, Minnesota, once the chase ended and booked him into the Iron County Correctional Facility for felony evasion, a third-degree felony, and reckless driving, a Class B misdemeanor.

Witnesses called dispatch around 3:05 p.m., reporting a 2006 white Pontiac Grand Am driving in the emergency lane and weaving in and out of traffic at high speeds. At that time, the suspect was near milepost 75 traveling south on Interstate 15.

Twitchell, who was traveling north, first located the vehicle at milepost 62 and clocked it moving at about 100 miles per hour, Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Del Schlosser said.

The deputy made a U-turn and caught up with the vehicle at milepost 60 at which time, he activated his lights and sirens. The suspect’s vehicle continued south.

Utah Highway Patrol Trooper Bambi Baie joined Twitchell in the pursuit at around milepost 53. Both officers continued south, traveling at speeds nearing 110 miles per hour, Schlosser said.

Sheriff’s deputies tried to deploy spikes at milepost 48 but due to the high speeds were not able to get them set up before the suspect passed authorities. Miller continued to milepost 43 where he finally came to a stop after running out of gas.

The Pontiac was found to be registered to Miller and a background check came up empty on any outstanding warrants in the suspect’s name. He was also clean of any alcohol or drugs, authorities said.

Without any apparent reason for the evasion, police asked Miller why he chose to run from them.

“He (Miller) said he just ‘wanted his freedom,’” Schlosser said. “The thing is, now he’s in jail on a felony evasion charge and if he would have just pulled over at the onset, he would have gotten a ticket for reckless driving and would have been on his way.”

Authorities took Miller to Cedar City Hospital before booking him into jail to be checked on a prior injury from a previous motor vehicle accident. Schlosser did not provide details of the injury but said Miller was given a medical clearance.

Bail was not yet set when this report was published.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

Tyler Miller of Alexandria, Minnesota Sept. 19, 2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Dash Cam footage of a high-speed chase that Iron County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Twitchell was involved in Monday. Iron County, Utah, Sept. 19,2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Dash Cam footage of a high-speed chase that Iron County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Twitchell was involved in Monday. Iron County, Utah, Sept. 19,2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Dash Cam footage of a high-speed chase that Iron County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Twitchell was involved in Monday. Iron County, Utah, Sept. 19,2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Dash Cam footage of a high-speed chase that Iron County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Twitchell was involved in Monday. Iron County, Utah, Sept. 19,2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Dash Cam footage of a high-speed chase that Iron County Sheriff's Deputy Doug Twitchell was involved in Monday. Iron County, Utah, Sept. 19,2016 | Photo courtesy of Iron County Sheriff's Office, St. George / Cedar City News

Email: tsullivan@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews | @tracie_sullivan

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ST. GEORGE — A St. George man, Ivins woman and Colorado City, Arizona, man were arrested Friday in Mesquite, Nevada, on crystal meth-related charges. The woman and one of the men have been previously arrested on similar charges.

While on routine patrol early Friday morning, an officer observed a man at the Virgin River Casino who had an active warrant for his arrest, according to a statement issued by the Mesquite Police Department Monday.

Officers spoke with the man, identified as 59-year-old John Sutton, of St. George, police said. In the process of taking him into custody for his warrant, police allegedly located a “large amount” of crystal methamphetamine hidden in Sutton’s shoe.

A short time later, another officer located the vehicle Sutton had previously arrived at the casino in and conducted a traffic stop on the vehicle for an equipment violation.

Officers spoke with the two occupants inside the vehicle, identified as Jodi Moss, 46, of Ivins, and Timothy Barlow, 32, of Colorado City, according to the statement.

Officers deployed a drug sniffing dog around the outside of the vehicle. The police dog allegedly alerted to the presence of illegal drugs inside.

“The Officers then checked inside the vehicle and found multiple bags of crystal meth and multiple glass pipes used for smoking meth,” police stated.

Sutton, Moss and Barlow were each arrested.

Sutton was charged with one felony count of trafficking a controlled substance (meth), one felony count of possession of a controlled substance (meth), and one misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia (meth pipe).

Sutton was also taken into custody and booked on an active warrant for his arrest out of the Mesquite Municipal Court.

Moss was charged with one felony count of trafficking a controlled substance (meth) and one misdemeanor count of possession of drug paraphernalia (meth pipe).

Barlow was charged with two misdemeanor counts of possession of drug paraphernalia (meth pipe).

Due to the felony charges, Sutton and Moss were both transported and booked into the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.

According to court records, Sutton and Moss have a history of drug-related arrests. Both were arrested April 14 on multiple felony charges for allegedly dealing crystal meth from their home.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: kscott@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

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ST. GEORGE — A 25-year-old Hurricane City man who was arrested last week on two second-degree felony counts of intentional child abuse was scheduled for a roll call hearing in 5th District Court Monday afternoon.

Dakota Ross Woolsey, who is being held at the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility on $10,000 cash-only bail, was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of physically abusing a 9-month-old infant who was subsequently transported to the hospital for his injuries.

During the course of the investigation, Woolsey allegedly admitted to slapping, choking and kicking the 9-month-old boy, who was found by doctors to have had fractured ribs and a fractured right tibia and fibula, according to a probable cause statement filed by the Hurricane City Police Department in support of the arrest.

Officers responded to the child abuse report Tuesday at a Hurricane residence where Woolsey had been babysitting his girlfriend’s 9-month-old boy as well as her 3-year-old boy while she went to a job interview, according to the report.

When officers arrived at the residence, they found that the 9-month-old had bruising on his left eye with blood spots in his eye, the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement. The infant also had contusion marks on his chest, neck and back area as well as trauma on his forehead and jaw.

When officers questioned Woolsey at the police department, they asked him to run them through his day.

Woolsey initially told officers he didn’t know what had happened and that the child was fine when he put him down for a nap, the report stated. When his girlfriend returned home, Woolsey told police he woke up the 9-month-old from his nap and showed his girlfriend the infant’s injuries.

Woolsey told officers while he was babysitting he heard the 9-month-old crying and when he went to check on him, found the infant was OK. According to the report, Woolsey then changed his story and stated there was some redness around the infant’s eye.

When the 9-month-old became fussy again, Woolsey said he made him a bottle and put him down for a nap. Woolsey admitted “he was frustrated and that the victim wouldn’t stop crying,” but denied doing anything to hurt the 9-month-old, the report stated.

When an officer told Woolsey what he thought Woolsey had done to the child, Woolsey allegedly agreed with him and admitted that he had “slapped the boy in the face,” the officer wrote in the statement. When the officer asked him how hard he slapped the infant, Woolsey reportedly said he “slapped him really hard with the palm of his hand.”

When asked about the marks around the boy’s chest and back, Woolsey said he didn’t know how they had gotten there, but then “he admitted to trying to choke the baby to get him to stop crying” – hard enough that the infant was “gasping for air,” according to the probable cause statement.

Following a medical evaluation, police were informed by hospital personnel that the 9-month-old had fractured ribs and a fractured right tibia and fibula, the report stated. These injuries were found to have been from an earlier date.

When Woolsey was asked about these injuries, he first said he didn’t know before allegedly admitting to kicking the infant.

“I asked how hard and he told me he didn’t remember,” the officer wrote in the statement. “He stated he didn’t remember because, when he gets mad, he blacks out.”

Woolsey told the officer he didn’t know what happened to the child’s leg.

Woolsey was found indigent by the court during his initial court appearance and is being represented by court-appointed attorney Ariel Taylor. His next court appearance is scheduled for Oct. 11.

According to Utah Court documents, Woolsey is also facing a third-degree felony charge of aggravated assault after his girlfriend told police that Woolsey had held her down with a knife in August and threatened to cut her.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Email: kscott@stgnews.com

Twitter: @STGnews

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CEDAR CITY – The attorney for a retired K-9 police officer, who is facing charges for workers’ compensation fraud, said he believes the court will throw the case out during next month’s preliminary hearing.

Jason Steven Thomas is scheduled for a preliminary hearing Nov. 17. He is facing a third-degree felony for fraudulently obtaining worker’s compensation insurance, as well as attempted theft by deception, a class C misdemeanor. The case was turned over to Beaver County Attorney Von Christiansen by the Iron County Attorney’s Office due to a conflict of interest.

Formal charges will not be filed against Thomas until after the November hearing, when the court will determine whether the state has enough evidence to move forward. However, Thomas’ attorney, Blake Hamilton, said he believes the court is likely to dismiss the charges since the state lacks the ability to prove intent – an element necessary for a conviction.

Thomas, 41, was employed with the Cedar City Police Department for 19 years before taking an early medical retirement June 30 of this year. Cedar City Manager Paul Bittmenn confirmed this fact during a phone interview with Cedar City News, stating Thomas’ choice to retire was separate from the criminal case, for which charges were filed in July.

Just days after the state filed charges against Thomas, he and his attorney spoke candidly with Cedar City News about the events leading up to the fraud charge and the allegations launched against him during that time.

Hamilton called the entire situation a “travesty” and said his client never intentionally tried to steal money or defraud anyone.

“This officer was employed with the agency (Cedar City Police Department) for 19 years,” Hamilton said. “He is a highly decorated officer and what this boils down to is mistakes – not fraud and theft. There’s no intent here and I think the evidence will show that.”

The attempted theft by deception charge is listed on court documents as less than $500. The actual amount is around $250, Thomas said.

The former police officer said the attempted theft by deception charge arose from a “one-time mistake” he made when he inadvertently wrote down wrong information on a time card logging 10 hours of a day’s work that he didn’t perform.

At the time, Thomas was providing K9 training to other officers under an agreement with the Utah Peace Officers Standard and Training – or POST – Council. Knowing the days and hours he would be working, Thomas said he filled out his time sheets in advance.

On the day in question, Thomas didn’t work as scheduled but said he forgot to remove the hours before submitting the time sheet to POST for payment. However, he maintains he caught his error before money ever exchanged hands.

“I never even got paid for it,” Thomas said. “How do you charge me with a theft charge when I never even received any money? I caught the mistake before POST issued the check. I was the one who called them and told them about the mistake. I never received any money. I did a lot of training for POST, and this was the only mistake like that I ever made and now I’m being charged for it?”

The workers’ compensation fraud charge as listed in the court record is between $1,000 and $5,000. Hamilton told Cedar City News the exact amount totals $1,149.

The fraud charge stems from an issue with some of the money paid to Thomas by Workers’ Compensation Insurance to reimburse vehicle mileage the retired officer accrued when driving his personal car to doctors’ appointments. However, Thomas mistakenly billed Workers’ Comp five times for mileage he logged driving to the medical visits in his police vehicle.

According to Hamilton, Thomas had more than 65 medical visits from 2007 to the time of his retirement, and of those, five of them were incorrectly reported. This element alone, Hamilton said, shows there was no intent to defraud Workers’ Comp.

Both Thomas and his attorney told Cedar City News that Thomas has suffered from severe post-traumatic stress disorder since 2007. This resulted from an incident when Thomas was shot at point blank range with a 12-gauge shotgun while trying to assist a man whose vehicle had become stuck in the snow on the wrong side of the road.

The first bullet hit a protective vest but a second and third shot hit him in his head and side where the armor didn’t cover. The shooter – later identified as Bryan Featherhat – eventually fled the scene but not before firing off more rounds, leaving Thomas severely injured with a bruised lung, broken ribs and penetrating wounds.

In 2010, Thomas received a purple heart for his bravery in the incident from then Police Chief Bob Allinson.

But the shooting was only one of many incidents to follow over the next few years that would act as triggers for this one event, sending Thomas spiraling downward over time, Hamilton said.

• 2011 – Thomas lost his K-9 partner, Gino, of eight years after the dog was hit by a car, sustaining fatal injuries that included a broken back, broken leg and chest wounds. His death occurred two days prior to the fourth anniversary of the 2007 shooting.
• 2013 – Thomas was the lone officer in a high-speed chase down Main Street for Nicholas Scott Anthony, a man he knew had a gun and had already fired on two people. The event Thomas said, brought back memories of the 2007 shooting.
• April 2013 – Thomas’ second K-9, Pajko, underwent surgery for neck injuries sustained while assisting officers in an arrest after a man, police were trying to apprehend, slammed on top of the dog. Pajko was later released to back to work.
• July 2013 – The officer was again injured when a man under the influence of drugs attacked him during a routine medical clearance at the hospital. Thomas was left with multiple contusions, abrasions and a moderate concussion.
• 2014 – Thomas was again injured during an incident when he was ran over by a suspect. That incident put him back in the hospital for surgery, this time on his shoulder.
• 2015 – Thomas was forced to bury his K-9, Pablo, after the dog undergoes surgery for Bloat.

Finally, there was another event in 2014 Thomas called “pivotal” that he said played a huge role in ultimately deciding how his life would go for the next two years.

In Feb. 2014, the officer was given the responsibility of delivering a death notice to a woman whose husband had been killed in a mining accident.

When he went to the door, Thomas said he saw the man’s son who was the same age as his own boy that had been born in 2007, two months before the shooting. The whole event seemed surreal as the officer envisioned his own family standing in front of him.

“It shook me up,” Thomas said. “It may not mean anything to someone who doesn’t understand but in the big picture it was just another kink in the rein. I remember standing there thinking what it would’ve been like for my wife and kids if I had died that night in 2007. Afterwards I remember clearly, calling my wife and bawling. It set me back again.”

Thomas describes the series of events as the “perfect storm” beginning with the shooting that kicked off the Post-Traumatic Stress and only grew worse with every incident.

The things that went on in Thomas’ life over the nine year period were an inordinate amount for any officer to go through, Iron County Sheriff Lt. Del Schlosser said, adding that he doesn’t know another officer in Iron County that has ever experienced as much as Thomas did during those years.

“The shooting and all the other stuff is a lot for one officer to go through – it’s not common for an officer to have to face that much, especially in that short of time,” Schlosser said. “Just losing two K-9 partners is tremendously painful. There hasn’t been one other officer in Iron County who has had to go through losing two of their partners.”

It’s the accumulation of these events that Hamilton said he believes ultimately led to Thomas incorrectly reporting the mileage and forgetting to remove the hours from the time sheet.

Court documents originally stated the alleged offenses happened in Iron County between Oct. 24, 2013 and March 3, 2016. However, that detail was later changed in an amended document to show the single date of Oct. 24, 2013 – three months after the last assault against Thomas and two months after the death of Pajko.

Hamilton maintains his client did not intentionally write down mileage that wasn’t owed to him but rather was confused as to what exactly Workers’ Compensation was paying for. Part of that confusion he maintains is a result of the PTSD and head trauma that Thomas was suffering from at the time.

“What this boils down to is a simple mistake,” Hamilton said. “Jason had experienced some serious incidents starting with 2007. He had some head trauma and was suffering from untreated PTSD. He was confused as to what exactly Workers’ Comp was paying for.”

As soon as Thomas learned of the mistake he immediately paid the money back, returning all of it within 24 hours, Hamilton said.

“Jason felt stupid when he found out what he had done and realized that he didn’t understand what they were paying him for. He was embarrassed and he rectified it immediately,” the attorney said.

In addition, the defendant’s attorney questions how the state is prosecuting charges where the victim, in this case Workers’ Compensation Insurance, has been made whole. He also maintains neither Workers Compensation Insurance nor POST has any motivation to prosecute the defendant.

Hamilton also brought up concerns with how the State Bureau of Investigations conducted the investigation. Among Hamilton and Thomas’ concerns is that they believe the investigator misconstrued statements the officer made under the protection of Garrity to build his criminal case.

Under the Garrity right, police officers can make incriminating statements to their superiors during an internal investigation that cannot be used against them in a criminal investigation.

The defense attorney also takes issue with the fact that there was not a pattern of any wrongdoing preceding the specific incidents in question.

The Beaver County Attorney would not speak to the specific allegations launched against the defendant.

Christiansen however adamantly denied ever saying he hoped Thomas would “just plead guilty” as reported by other media but said his goal is to work with the former Cedar City police officer and his attorney in resolving the case.

Bittmenn issued the following prepared statement on behalf of Cedar City officials:

“We would like to thank Officer Thomas for all of the years of public service he dedicated to our community. We are aware of the current allegations, and the Cedar City mayor, council and city staff have no further comment at this time.”

On Aug. 18, Thomas’ case was transferred to 5^th District Judge Jeffrey Wilcox from St. George after Judge Keith Barnes recused himself from the case due to a “potential conflict.”

Thomas was issued a summons in the case and was ordered to turn himself in to the Beaver County Jail in August for a book and release.

Email: tsullivan@stgnews.com

Twitter: @tracie_sullivan

The post Retired police officer speaks out on his own criminal charges appeared first on St George News.

CEDAR CITY – Police chased a suspect for several blocks Saturday after he allegedly assaulted a man while in the parking lot of a hardware store.

Cedar City Police arrested 34-year-old Steven Adam Gross after chasing him on foot from 165 S. Main Street to around 225 E. 70 South.

The incident occurred around 3 p.m. when the suspect reportedly walked up to a car parked in the Ace Hardware parking lot with three men in it and punched the driver.

According to Cedar City Police Sgt. Jerry Womack, Gross asked the men for a ride and when they told him no, he grabbed the driver’s cell phone. When the driver demanded it back, Gross swung at him.

A law enforcement agent from the Department of Natural Resources happened to be in the Ace Hardware parking lot at the time, witnessed the assault, and started walking toward the scene. When Gross saw him, he took off, Womack said, and started running.

While officers were searching for the suspect, police taped off the area from 200 South to College Avenue and from 200 East to 300 East. They ultimately found Gross in the backyard of a home near East Elementary, located at 225 E. 70 South – about five or six blocks away from where the incident started, Womack said.

The men in the car reported to police that they didn’t know Gross. However, during an interview with Cedar City News after the incident, one of the men said he thought the driver had “done some work in the past” for Gross.

Emergency crews were put on standby at the time of the initial report but were later released when the driver reported minor injuries.

Gross was arrested without incident and booked into the Iron County Correctional Facility where he faces two Class B misdemeanors of assault and criminal trespass, a second-degree felony for robbery, and a Class A misdemeanor for failure to stop at the command of a police officer.

Gross’ bail has not yet been set by a judge. Womack said the incident is under investigation.

Email: tsullivan@stgnews.com

Twitter: @tracie_sullivan

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