ST. GEORGE — A 57-year-old woman was arrested Monday after reportedly going on a shopping spree in Washington County using counterfeit money.
Melanie Jane Shatto, of Las Vegas, Nevada, booking photo posted May 8, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News
Officers responded to the Red Cliffs Mall at 1770 E. Red Cliffs Drive on a counterfeiting complaint at the Bliss clothing store, according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrest.
A woman, identified by police as Melanie Jane Shatto, of Las Vegas, Nevada, had paid for her items at Bliss with a counterfeit $100 bill, according to the statement.
“Melanie (Shatto) stated that she passed the bill, but did not know it was fake,” the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement. “Melanie had bags with clothing from JC Penny and Dillards.”
Upon further investigation, police learned that Shatto had also passed counterfeit bills at J.C. Penney and Dillards located in the mall, the report stated.
While investigating, police found a receipt in Shatto’s possession for Home Depot located at 725 W. Telegraph Street in Washington City. Police responded to Home Depot and collected another counterfeit $100 bill that had been passed by Shatto earlier that day.
Shatto maintained she didn’t know the bills were counterfeit and then requested an attorney, according to the statement.
Shatto 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 Shatto of four third-degree felony counts of forgery.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
ST. GEORGE — Two Utah men were arrested during a traffic stop in Kentucky Tuesday after police seized 33 pounds of heroin worth a reported $1.5 million.
Roberto Orozco, of West Valley City, Utah, booking photo posted May 8, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News
At 7:22 p.m. Monday, troopers stopped a semitractor-trailer on Interstate 24 in Lyon County, Kentucky, for commercial vehicle inspection purposes, according to a statement issued Tuesday by Kentucky State Police.
Police identified the driver as 29-year-old Roberto Orozco of West Valley City. The passenger was identified by police as 50-year-old Alberto Leal-Martinez of Magna.
During the stop, Kentucky troopers located a small amount of heroin on one of the two men, according to the statement.
Alberto Leal-Martinez, of Magna, Utah, booking photo posted May 8, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News
A subsequent search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 33 pounds of heroin with an estimated street value of $1.5 million, Kentucky officials said.
Orozco and Leal-Martinez were booked into Caldwell County Jail on a class B felony charge of aggravated heroin trafficking.
The investigation into the matter is ongoing, authorities said Tuesday.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
ST. GEORGE — A Southern Utah sheriff and two of his deputies were charged in 7th District Court Friday with criminal misconduct for allegedly retaliating against a former employee and lying to state investigators to cover up their actions.
“It is never pleasant to bring charges against a fellow public servant, but when it is necessary, we will diligently do our jobs to assist the Court in holding them accountable,” Utah Attorney General Sean Reyes said in a statement issued Friday.
San Juan County Sheriff Richard “Rick” Eldredge, 48, was charged with third-degree felony retaliation against a witness; two class A misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and obstruction of justice in a criminal proceeding; and class B misdemeanor official misconduct.
Chief Deputy Alan P. Freestone, 57, was charged with third-degree felony retaliation against a witness or informant; class A misdemeanor obstruction of justice; and class B misdemeanor official misconduct.
Sgt. Robert J. Wilcox, 46, was charged with two class A misdemeanor counts of reckless endangerment and obstruction of justice in a criminal proceeding; along with class B misdemeanor official misconduct.
On May 26, 2015, Eldredge was in the sheriff’s office parking lot with Wilcox, the firearms range master sergeant, to handle a newly purchased assault rifle that was in the back of a Sheriff’s Office truck, according to a probable cause statement filed in support of the charges by the Utah Attorney General Office Justice Division’s Special Prosecutions Section.
A person, described in charging documents as a “witness,” said he was “walking through the parking lot with his back turned to Eldredge and Wilcox when he “heard the click of the trigger pull, turned around and saw Eldredge pointing the assault rifle at him and heard Wilcox chuckle,” the report stated.
The witness, who was a San Juan County Sheriff’s Office employee, said Eldredge had “previously confronted” him, according to the statement.
During the initial investigation into the incident, Eldredge “failed to recall the incident,” according to the report. However, on Nov. 15, 2016, Eldredge “admitted that he engaged in the conduct directed at the witness.”
When the witness disclosed the sheriff’s conduct to the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office, Eldredge assigned his chief deputy, Freestone, to conduct an internal investigation rather than have an outside agency investigate the claim, the report stated.
Freestone allegedly directed the witness to provide Wilcox with a written statement regarding the incident. When the witness told Freestone he was uncomfortable doing that, Freestone “noted that the witness refused to cooperate with an official investigation,” the report stated.
On May 19, 2016, Freestone conducted a recorded interview with the witness. Freestone then interviewed Eldredge and Wilcox but did not record their interviews and allowed them to hear the witness’ interview while taking their statements, according to charging documents.
“Freestone, to protect the Sheriff, did not conduct a proper investigation,” according to the Attorney General’s report. “Freestone’s investigation had incorrect dates, incorrect paperwork, and missing or no audio interviews. On May 26, 2016, Freestone closed his investigation, indicating that the alleged shooting range incident did not happen. Eldredge then used that result against the witness.”
When a special agent from the attorney general’s office investigated the incident in August 2016, Eldredge and Wilcox provided false statements regarding their conduct, the report stated.
While the Attorney General’s Office investigation was still active, Eldredge and Freestone falsely told the witness on Jan. 25 that “all investigations were concluded and found to have no merit,” according to the report.
The witness was then placed on administrative leave from the San Juan County Sheriff’s Office. On Feb. 25, the witness was fired “in retaliation for reporting a complaint.”
If convicted, each of the three could be sentenced to up to five years in prison and a fine up to $5,000. The misdemeanor charges carry a maximum jail sentence of one year for a class A misdemeanor and six months for a class B misdemeanor.
Friday’s charges come one week after the Attorney General’s Office charged the former Daggett County sheriff and four of his deputies for alleged misconduct at the Daggett County Jail, resulting in the Utah State Prison removing all of its inmates from the jail.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
ALERT: This report includes details that may not be appropriate for all readers. Discretion is advised.
ST. GEORGE — A St. George man was arrested Thursday after allegedly arranging to have sex with a “mother and her 13-year-old daughter” on an online website well-known for advertising sex.
Taylor John Hummel, of St. George, Utah, booking photo posted May 11, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News
If convicted, 22-year-old Taylor John Hummel faces a potential sentence of up to life in prison for his first-degree felony charge of conspiracy to commit rape of a child.
Homeland Security Investigations special agents and St. George Police detectives were conducting an operation aimed at “identifying child sex predators that would travel with the intent to have sex with a minor,” according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrest.
Investigators located an ad on Backpage.com titled “Married Guy Looking for Discreet Fun,” the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement. A federal agent initiated an undercover text conversation with the person who placed the ad, later identified as Hummel.
Washington County records show Hummel was married in October 2016.
The federal agent posed as a mother offering sex acts for money, eventually telling Hummel that her daughter was also home, the report stated. Hummel allegedly responded by asking how old the girl was and what she liked to do.
“At no point did HUMMEL express any concern for the child,” the report stated.
The undercover agent replied, stating the girl would be “turning 14 this year” and that she liked to do “various sex acts to include oral sex and vaginal sex,” the officer wrote in the statement. The agent further told Hummel that a half-hour rate would be $75 for the mother and $95 for the child.
“(The undercover agent) told HUMMEL that if he had sex with the child, the mother would have to be in the room to make sure there was no pain,” the officer wrote in the statement. “HUMMEL wanted to know if the mother could masturbate while he was having sex with the child.”
After photos were exchanged, arrangements were made for them to meet, according to the report. When Hummel arrived at the residence, he met an undercover officer posing as the mother.
“(Hummel) paid the mother $75 to have sex but said he was nervous about having sex with the daughter,” the report stated.
After Hummel exchanged the money, he 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 Hummel of first-degree felony conspiracy to commit rape of a child, along with class B misdemeanor sexual solicitation.
Hummel made his initial appearance in 5th District Court before Judge John Walton Friday. He was released from police custody on $20,000 bail. He is scheduled to make his next appearance in court on May 22.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
ST. GEORGE — A single-vehicle crash claimed the life of a 26-year-old man Monday afternoon on Interstate 70 after the vehicle left the roadway and rolled multiple times.
A single-vehicle crash claimed the life of a 26-year-old man Monday afternoon after the vehicle left the roadway and rolled multiple times on eastbound Interstate 70 near milepost 153, west of Green River, Utah, May 15, 2017 | Photo courtesy of Utah Highway Patrol, St. George News
At approximately 4:32 p.m., Jason R. Hoth, of Salt Lake City, was driving a 2004 Nissan Xterra on I-70 East near milepost 153, west of Green River, according to a statement issued by the Utah Highway Patrol.
“For an unknown reason, the vehicle drifted off the road to the left, the driver corrected back onto the roadway and then, the driver overcorrected and the vehicle went off the road to the left into the median where it rolled multiple times,” highway patrol officials said.
Hoth was pronounced deceased at the scene, according to the statement.
A 26-year-old female passenger was removed from the vehicle by some motorists at the scene, officials said. The woman was subsequently transported to St. Mary’s Hospital in Grand Junction, Colorado.
“It appears that both occupants were wearing seat belts,” UHP troopers said.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
ALERT: This report includes details that may not be appropriate for all readers. Discretion is advised.
ST. GEORGE — An out-of-state man was arrested Tuesday after allegedly traveling to St. George to “teach a 13-year-old girl how to have sex” – an arrangement made through an online sex advertisement.
Jeremy David Demoss Fisher, of Lake Arrowhead, California, and Vernonia, Oregon, booking photo posted May 16, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News
On May 9, Homeland Security Investigations special agents and St. George Police detectives began communicating with 34-year-old Jeremy David Demoss Fisher, of Lake Arrowhead, California, as part of an undercover sting operation aimed at catching child sex predators.
Fisher responded to an online ad placed by an undercover investigator asking if anyone was interested in “Family Fun,” according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrest.
“Fisher was told during the chats that the woman he was talking to had a 13-year-old daughter and wanted her to be taught how to have sex by a gentleman,” the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement. “When asked if he was into Family Taboo, Fisher responded ‘Yes! Love it. Watch mom daughter and son porn, or brother sister, anything that keeps it in the family.”
During the conversation with the undercover agent, Fisher named explicit sexual activities he enjoys doing, adding that he likes “anything and everything,” the report stated.
“Fisher understood that the mother would not be engaging in any sexual activity and that any sex would happen between Fisher and the child,” the officer wrote in the statement, adding that Fisher then made arrangements to meet with whom he believed to be the mother of the child in St. George.
While en route to St. George, Fisher allegedly sent the undercover investigators photos of himself in the car, including a picture of his private parts to reportedly show the child his size (explicit descriptions omitted), according to the statement.
When he arrived at the agreed location in St. George, Fisher was greeted by law enforcement. He was subsequently arrested and booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.
The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Fisher of first-degree felony conspiracy to commit rape of a child, along with second-degree felony enticing, soliciting, seducing or luring a minor by Internet or text message.
Fisher made his initial appearance in 5th District Court Thursday before Judge John Walton. His bail pending trial was set at $30,000. He is scheduled to make his next appearance in court on Tuesday.
On May 11, Taylor John Hummel, 22, of St. George, was arrested during the same undercover operation focused on child predators, human trafficking, sexual solicitation, and Department of Professional Licensing violations.
Hummel allegedly made an agreement with undercover investigators to exchange money for sex with a “mother and her 13-year-old daughter” on an online website known for advertising sex.
Hummel is facing charges of first-degree felony conspiracy to commit rape of a child, along with class B misdemeanor sexual solicitation. He was released from police custody on $20,000 bail pending trial. He is also scheduled to make his next appearance in 5th District Court on Tuesday.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
ST. GEORGE — Nevada’s first 2017 human case of West Nile virus has been contracted by a man in Southern Nevada, public health officials reported Thursday.
The unidentified man, who is in his 50s, has the “more serious neuroinvasive form” of the illness, according to a statement issued by the Southern Nevada Health District.
There have been no human cases of West Nile virus reported in 2017 in the five counties covered by the Southwest Utah Public Health Department, spokesman David Heaton said.
West Nile virus is spread through the bites of infected mosquitoes that have acquired the virus by feeding on infected birds, according to the health district. The illness is not spread person to person.
Many people with the virus will have no symptoms or very mild clinical symptoms of illness, health officials said. Mild symptoms include fever, headache, body aches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes swollen lymph glands or a skin rash on the chest, stomach and back. In some cases, the virus can cause severe neurologic illness and even death.
“Mosquito bites and the diseases spread by infected mosquitoes are preventable,” Dr. Joe Iser, chief health officer for the health district, said in a statement.
Simple steps can be taken to eliminate mosquito breeding sources around homes to help protect people and prevent mosquito bites.
Ways to help prevent the spread of West Nile virus
Avoid outdoor activities, such as gardening, at dusk when mosquitoes are most active.
If outside during the periods when mosquitoes are most active, cover up by wearing long-sleeved shirts, pants, shoes and socks.
Use mosquito repellents with DEET. Follow product directions for children and how often it should be applied.
Eliminate standing water in tires or similar water-holding containers as these may serve as mosquito breeding sites. Change the water in birdbaths at least weekly.
In 2016, there were two reported West Nile cases along with three cases of St. Louis Encephalitis, a similar mosquito-borne illness, according to the health district.
Mosquito pools for West Nile, St. Louis Encephalitis and Western Equine Encephalitis are regularly tested by the Southern Nevada Health District’s Vector Surveillance Program.
To date, 444 mosquito traps have been set and 10,074 mosquitoes submitted to the Nevada Department of Agriculture Animal Disease Laboratory for analysis. All mosquitoes submitted have been negative for disease.
ST. GEORGE — Police and family members are searching for two St. George teens who reportedly went missing Thursday evening.
St. George Police are asking for the public’s help Friday in locating 16-year-old Jaeliece Heaven Lewis and 17-year-old Sidney Sopko.
The girls were seen together at approximately 2 p.m. Thursday, St. George Police Officer Lona Trombley said.
Lewis told her family she was going to the Bloomington Wal-Mart on Thursday, Christian Warmsley, a private investigator on the case, said.
“From there, that’s when all communication was gone,” Warmsley said, noting that Sopko may be trying to avoid legal issues and may have convinced Lewis to run away with her.
“They have been missing for over 24 hours by now,” Warmsley said Friday night. “If you see these people, please contact St. George Police, immediately.”
Anyone with information regarding Lewis’ or Sopko’s whereabouts is asked to call the St. George Police Department at 435-627-4300.
Description of Lewis
Age: 16
Height: 5 feet, 2 inches
Weight: 120 pounds
Hair: Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Sex: Female
Description of Sopko
Age: 17
Height: 5 feet, 8 inches
Weight: 140 pounds
Hair: Black
Eyes: Brown
Sex: Female
Identifying marks: Tattoo of a shark fin in the webbing of her thumb and index finger
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and others close to the case and may not contain the full scope of findings.
Police confirmed 16-year-old Jaeliece Heaven Lewis and 17-year-old Sidney Sopko were located Sunday with a 15-year-old boy who had also been reported missing, St. George Police Officer Lona Trombley said.
The teens were found after being spotted in St. George by an off-duty police officer, Trombley said.
After expressing her thanks and gratitude to police and others who assisted in the search, Lewis’ grandmother and legal guardian posted the following message on Facebook Sunday:
To those teenagers who consider running away – please remember that you are loved and the people that love you are really going to miss you while you are gone. You probably want to leave because you want to be independent, prove to yourself and the world that you are all grown up and can make your own rules in life. Remember, your parents or guardian didn’t get to go to school to learn to be a parent – it’s a learning experience for them too. Parents don’t want you to learn things the hard way – they love you and want things to be easier for you. Life for a teenager is really, really rough. It’s scary and frustrating and it can really suck sometimes. So keep your loved ones close because they will always be there for you! They will never give up on you, so don’t ever give up on yourself.
As this report is published, no other details about the case have been released.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and others close to the case and may not contain the full scope of findings.
ST. GEORGE — Police reportedly spotted a gun between the legs of a passenger in a vehicle during a traffic stop in St. George Friday. The initial discovery led to the arrest of an alleged St. George drug dealer after officers found a distributable amount of heroin and meth along with two additional guns.
Travis Christopher Leck, of St. George, Utah, booking photo posted May 19, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News
Travis Christopher Leck, 26, of St. George, was a passenger in the vehicle stopped by police on South Dixie Drive at approximately 6:45 p.m. Friday, according to a probable cause statement filed by the Washington County Drug Task Force in support of the arrest.
“Officers observed the grip and cylinder of a revolver in plain sight inside a backpack that was between Leck’s legs,” the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement. “Leck was taken out of the vehicle for officer safety and handcuffed.”
Officers placed Leck under arrest upon being notified that Leck had an active warrant for his arrest, according to the statement. Leck and his property were subsequently searched.
During the search, heroin, a “large amount” of cash and a set of brass knuckles were allegedly located in the jacket Leck was wearing, the report stated.
“The heroin was packaged in 14 individual bags that were later weighed,” the officer stated. “The total weight of the 14 bags was 16.5 grams.”
Inside a backpack that was between Leck’s legs during the traffic stop, officers located three handguns, knives, a small scale and a lock picking set, among other items, according to the statement.
Underneath Leck’s hat, officers located a “large bag” of methamphetamine, weighing 42 grams, the report stated.
Leck 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 Leck of second-degree felony drug possession with intent to distribute; third-degree felony drug possession with intent to distribute; three third-degree felony counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person; along with two class B misdemeanor counts of possession of burglary tools and drug paraphernalia.
Leck made his initial appearance in 5th District Court before Judge Eric Ludlow Monday afternoon. He is scheduled to make his next court appearance on May 30.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
UPDATE: St. George Police report that Zane Michael Brown has been located and is now home safe. The department also expressed its thanks to the public in a message on its Facebook page.
ST. GEORGE — St. George police are asking for the public’s help Tuesday in locating a missing 15-year-old boy.
Zane Michael Brown ran away from his home Monday evening and was last seen in the area of Valley View Drive in St. George, according to a statement issued by the St. George Police Department.
Click on flier to enlarge | Flier courtesy of the St. George Police Department, St. George News
He was last seen wearing a dark-colored tank-top, basketball shorts and black or blue Nike shoes, police said.
“Zane is still believed to be in the area,” police said Tuesday.
Anyone with information regarding Brown’s whereabouts is asked to call the St. George Police Department at 435-627-4300. Reference incident No. 17P012485 when calling.
Description of Brown
Age: 15
Height: 6 feet
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Blue
Sex: Male
Weight: 135 pounds
Build: Slim
Complexion: Fair
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.
ST. GEORGE — A national organization is continuing its campaign against Utah’s recently passed .05 legal blood alcohol content for driving law by running a full-page advertisement in the Las Vegas Review-Journal that reads, “Utah: Come for vacation, leave on probation.”
A full-page newspaper advertisement placed by the American Beverage Institute targeting Utah’s .05 percent DUI law. The group has been running the ads in newspapers in Utah, Colorado, Idaho and, most recently, Nevada | Photo courtesy of the American Beverage Institute, St. George News
The ad, placed by the American Beverage Institute, hit the Nevada newspaper Wednesday.
“The ad warns Nevada vacationers of the potential to be subjected to DUI charges for having little more than a single drink before driving,” according to a statement issued Tuesday by the organization. “And since Nevada sends the third most tourists to Utah — behind California and Idaho — they need to understand how the new law could impact them.”
The full-page advertisement ends by warning Nevadans that it’s time to “rethink their vacation plans.” View the full-page ad in the Las Vegas Review-Journal here.
The group has been running similar ads in newspapers in Utah, Colorado and Idaho.
Sarah Longwell, the beverage institute’s executive director, said while supporters of the .05 legislation may have good intentions, lowering the BAC arrest threshold is a “mistake.”
“This law fails to target the dangerous drunk drivers who cause the vast majority of alcohol-related fatalities and instead targets moderate, responsible drinkers,” Longwell said. “At this level, a 120-pound woman could be subjected to arrest, $10,000 in fines, hiked insurance rates and the stigma of being labeled a drunk driver after having little more than a single drink.”
State legislators approved lowering the arrest level from .08 BAC to .05 BAC and Gov. Gary Herbert signed the bill into law earlier this year. The new threshold in Utah takes effect Dec. 30, 2018, making Utah the first state in the nation to adopt a .05 BAC limit and the strictest DUI limit in the U.S.
The petition had garnered more than 1,300 signatures within 24 hours.
“It would be one thing if lowering the arrest level to .05 would actually save lives,” Longwell said, adding that all the law does is distract law enforcement officials from targeting dangerous offenders with a .15 BAC and above who cause 77 percent of alcohol-related traffic fatalities in Utah.
“Only 1 percent of traffic fatalities involve drivers with BACs between .05 and .08 because at those levels, impairment is not meaningful. In fact, talking on a hands-free cellphone is more impairing than driving at the current BAC arrest level of .08 and simply driving over the age of 65 is more impairing than the proposed threshold of .05.”
The group said traffic safety officials should focus on the “truly dangerous drunk drivers” while allowing both vacationers and Utahans to “enjoy a drink with dinner without the threat of jail.”
ST. GEORGE — Graco Children’s Products Inc. is recalling more than 25,000 car seats that may not properly restrain children during a crash. The company issued a recall Wednesday for its My Ride 65 model car seat.
“The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration evaluates the restraint system compliance including the individual components of the car seat and the complete car seat in a dynamic crash simulation,” according to the Graco recall. “During a test of the individual harness restraint component, the webbing on certain My Ride 65 convertible car seats did not meet federal requirements for breaking strength.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration announced that the webbing in the Graco My Ride 65 car seat failed to meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
“In the event of a serious motor vehicle crash, the harness webbing restraining the child may break resulting in a child not being properly restrained,” the safety administration noted.
The recall affects 25,494 units manufactured between May and August of 2014 and sold in the United States.
Model numbers include 1871689, 1908152, 1813074, 1872691, 1853478, 1877535, 1813015 and 1794334. Units with a webbing code tag of 2014/06 are affected.
Graco customers affected by the recall will receive free replacement kits with a new harness after filling out an online replacement form.
The recall is expected to begin July 17, 2017.
Owners may contact Graco customer service at 1-800-345-4109.
For additional information on the recall consumers may contact the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration Vehicle Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236 (TTY 1-800-424-9153), or visit www.safercar.gov.
ST. GEORGE — Police and family members are searching for two children who went missing from St. George and are believed by authorities to possibly be endangered. The children were last seen in St. George on Wednesday, according to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The children’s non-custodial father, Ricardo Lopez, 51, is suspected of abducting 11-year-old Jesus Lopez and 9-year-old Angel Lopez from St. George, the St. George Police Department said in a statement Wednesday afternoon.
“(Lopez) is recently divorced from the boy’s mother, who has sole custody,” police said. “Ricardo was to take the boys to school (Wednesday) morning but they never arrived.”
Lopez is believed to be headed to Tijuana, Mexico, with the two children in a red 2007 Dodge Caliber with Utah license plate E46 2AC, officials said, noting that the Dodge Caliber is pulling a trailer covered by a blue tarp.
The St. George Police Department is actively working with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children regarding the case.
If you have any information about this case, call 911. Reference incident No. 17P012626. You may also contact the St. George Police Department at 435-627-4300 or The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children Hotline at 1-800-843-5678.
ST. GEORGE — Police have confirmed that two boys abducted in St. George Wednesday by their noncustodial father are now somewhere in Mexico. Federal authorities are actively working to locate them.
Jesus Lopez, 11, and Angel Lopez, 9, are confirmed to be in Mexico with their father, 51-year-old Ricardo Lopez, who police believe abducted them from St. George Wednesday, photo location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of the St. George Police Department, St. George News
Jesus Lopez, 11, and Angel Lopez, 9, are confirmed to be in Mexico with their father, 51-year-old Ricardo Lopez, the St. George Police Department said Thursday.
“We have spoken with the person who drove them there (to Mexico),” St. George Police Officer Lona Trombley said. “This person learned of the situation after dropping them off. They have been working with us to give us as much information as possible to help locate the boys.”
Ricardo Lopez is recently divorced from the boys’ mother, who has sole custody of the children, police said. Ricardo Lopez had agreed to take the boys to school Wednesday morning, but they never arrived.
Police believed Ricardo Lopez was headed to Tijuana, Mexico, with the children in a red 2007 Dodge Caliber.
“We have also confirmed that Ricardo sold the Dodge Caliber to a person in Mesquite, (Nevada),” officials said Thursday, “so we are no longer looking for that vehicle.”
As this report is published, the St. George Police Department said it is actively working with the FBI and Homeland Security Investigations to locate the boys in Mexico.
ST. GEORGE — A 48-year-old man allegedly told police he was on his way to sell methamphetamine to multiple users Thursday evening when he was stopped by the Washington County Drug Task Force and arrested on a variety of charges.
Tracy Lee Eyman, of Hurricane, Utah, booking photo posted May 25, 2017 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News
At approximately 8:26 p.m. Thursday, the task force executed a narcotics search warrant at Tracy Lee Eyman’s trailer located at 113 W. 400 South in Hurricane City, according to a probable cause statement filed by the Washington County Drug Task Force in support of the arrest.
Prior to executing the search warrant, Eyman was seen leaving his trailer. He was pulled over and taken into police custody after authorities allegedly located several baggies of methamphetamine in his vehicle, the arresting officer wrote in a sworn statement.
During an interview with police, Eyman allegedly admitted there was more than half an ounce of meth in his vehicle, the report stated.
“Tracy stated that he was on his way to sell methamphetamine to approximately two to three people,” the detective wrote in the statement. “Tracy further stated that he had about half an ounce of marijuana inside a safe located in his bedroom. Tracy reported that he had three packages of ‘mushrooms’ and a syringe inside the same safe. Tracy stated that he should have a meth pipe on his bed.”
While Eyman reportedly told detectives that he only sells marijuana and hadn’t used it in 15 years, he did allegedly admit to using meth four hours before his arrest, according to the statement.
Once in custody, Eyman was taken back to his trailer for questioning while police continued executing the warrant. During a search of Eyman’s residence, detectives allegedly located psilocybin mushrooms, marijuana, a syringe containing a liquid substance, a meth pipe, a .22 caliber rifle and two counterfeit $100 bills, according to the report.
“Tracy later claimed that he has never seen the two hundred dollar bills before and did not know who the money belonged to,” the detective stated.
Eyman 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 Eyman of first-degree felony drug possession with the intent to distribute, second-degree felony drug possession with the intent to distribute, two third-degree felony counts of possession of a forgery and possession of a firearm by a restricted person, class A misdemeanor drug possession and class B misdemeanor possession of drug paraphernalia.
Eyman was found indigent by the court during his initial court appearance Friday and will be represented by court-appointed attorney Larry Meyers.
He was released from custody on $10,000 bail and is scheduled to appear before 5th District Judge Eric A. Ludlow for his next court appearance on June 5.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
ST. GEORGE — A Utah man is dead after reportedly drowning while trying to swim into a cave located behind a waterfall on the Havasupai Reservation. The man’s death was the second reported drowning in the area over the Memorial Day weekend.
At approximately 3 p.m. Monday, the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office received a request from the Bureau of Indian Affairs in Havasupai to assist in response to a possible drowning at Beaver Falls, the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement Tuesday.
A man reported to tribal officials that 36-year-old Mark Magleby, of Orem, was camping with him and a group of their friends and that Magleby had attempted to enter a cave behind the falls, according to the statement.
“The entry required diving to a depth of several feet before reaching the entrance. Another individual had also tried to enter the cave, but unable to, returned to the surface. After approximately 30 minutes, the friend had not returned.”
A sheriff’s deputy was transported by Air West to the falls to coordinate rescue and recovery efforts with tribal officials.
By approximately 7 p.m., Magleby’s body resurfaced and was recovered. The body was transported from Havasupai by Department of Public Safety Ranger Helicopter to the rim where transfer was made to the Coconino County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Sheriff’s deputies recover body of suspected drowning victim at Lake Mary boat ramp, Arizona, May 27, 2017 | Photo courtesy of Coconino County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News
Havasupai officials reported that more than 250 individuals were registered for use of the area that day.
Magleby’s death marked the second drowning in Coconino County during the Memorial Day weekend.
An 18-year-old man identified as Kevin Anaya, of Mesa, Arizona, drowned at Lake Mary south of Flagstaff, officials reported.
At approximately 3:30 p.m. Saturday, officials near the Lake Mary boat ramp were flagged down by individuals reporting that Anaya had been swimming near buoys located south of the boat ramp before disappearing in the water.
“The swimmer reportedly had some difficulty making it back to shore while approximately 100 feet from land,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement. “He was seen going beneath the water and not returning to the surface by several family members who entered the water in attempts to locate him.”
Officials determined that the depth where Anaya was last seen was over 10 feet deep and visibility was “very poor.”
Deputies from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office and US Forest Service Law Enforcement responded to the scene and entered the water in an attempt to locate Anaya. These initial response units were supplemented by response from the Coconino County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue, Flagstaff Fire Department and a Department of Public Safety Helicopter.
“Several citizens who were in the area also assisted with the search efforts by providing the use of their boats,” the Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
At approximately 9:30 p.m., members of the Sheriff’s Office Dive Team recovered Anaya’s body in close proximity to where he had last been seen.
ST. GEORGE — A BASE jumper fell approximately 320 feet to his death Tuesday night near Moab.
Seth F. Graham, 34, of Moab, was alone when he initiated a BASE jump along an eastern Utah stretch of the Colorado River off state Route 128 near milepost 1, according to a statement issued Wednesday by the Grand County Sheriff’s Office.
At approximately 8:41 p.m. Tuesday, a person on a Canyonlands by Night river boat tour witnessed Graham’s fatal jump from a location named “G” spot, a 320-foot-high cliff above the Goose Island Recreation site, Sheriff’s Office officials said.
Officials were notified of the incident, and sheriff’s deputies, emergency responders and search and rescue crews responded to the scene.
Crews located Graham’s body and determined that he died as a result of the injuries he sustained in the BASE jumping accident.
BASE jumping is an extreme sport which involves parachuting or wingsuit flying from tall structures such as buildings, bridges and natural features – the BASE acronym literally stands for “building, antennae, span or Earth.” Due to the lower altitudes of the jumps, BASE jumping is considered significantly more dangerous than skydiving from a plane.
This report is based on preliminary information provided by the authorities and may not contain the full scope of findings.
ST. GEORGE — “We are putting up the red flashing lights and hazard signs in relation to what is probably one of the most significant and devastating public health threats of our time and that is the heroin and opioid crisis here in Utah, and, even more specifically, the deadly drug Fentanyl,” said Brian Besser, Drug Enforcement Administration district agent in charge in Utah.
“The current heroin and opioid epidemic across the United States, right now, claims more than 144 overdose deaths a day. And, here in Utah, we are losing between 24 and 30 Utahns a month.”
Besser spoke at a press conference in Salt Lake City Wednesday announcing a federal grand jury’s return of a superseding indictment Wednesday morning charging six individuals in what the indictment alleges is an international drug trafficking organization in Utah involved in manufacturing fake prescription drugs made from Fentanyl.
Fentanyl is an extremely powerful synthetic opioid that it is 100 times more potent than morphine and 40-50 times more potent than street level heroin, Besser said, adding: “Its effects are very sudden and absolutely catastrophic.”
The drug ring discovered in Utah is being considered one of the largest trades of the drug Fentanyl in the nation, authorities said.
Hundreds of thousands of the fake pills were distributed throughout Utah and the United States to customers who had ordered pills from the Utah-based darknet, or hidden services online store.
“We’re right in the middle of it; we are right in the middle of a national drug trade organization,” John Huber, U.S. Attorney for the District of Utah, said, adding that the drug ring was run out of some of Utah’s “most respected neighborhoods and communities.”
“What we feared and hoped somehow would stay away has arrived in spades,” Huber said at Wednesday’s conference. “Fentanyl is as dangerous as it gets.”
Charged in Wednesday’s 15-count indictment are five Utahns, including Aaron Michael Shamo, 27, of Cottonwood Heights; Alexandrya Marie Tonge, 25, and Katherine Lauren Ann Bustin, 26, both of South Jordan; Mario Anthony Noble, 28, and Sean Michael Gygi, 27, both of Midvale; along with Drew Wilson Crandall, 30, of Brisbane, Australia.
The startup
The organization began with Shamo and Crandall, who had worked together at eBay, according to documents filed in federal court. The two men purchased pill presses, dies and stamps to mark pills so the markings would match those of legitimate pharmaceutical drugs, and inert pill ingredients, such as binding agents and colors.
Aaron Michael Shamo mugshot
Some items were purchased legally and others, such as Fentanyl and Alprazolam, were imported into the United States illegally, including from China, according to court records. To avoid detection, Shamo and Crandall had many of their supplies shipped to nominees or straw purchasers.
After manufacturing the fake Oxycodone-type pills and counterfeit Alprazolam tablets in Shamo’s basement in Cottonwood Heights, the drugs were sold at a significant profit from an online store on the darknet for bitcoin and then the digital currency was converted to cash.
Before quitting their jobs at eBay, Shamo and Crandall told a co-worker they were making a lot of money trading bitcoin. The co-worker, identified as Tonge, asked them how she could get involved, according to the complaint.
The two men hired Tonge and her roommate, Bustin, in 2014 to receive packages at their home in South Jordan, paying them $200 to $300 per package, according to court documents. Tonge told agents she knew the packages contained something illegal but that she didn’t know what.
In June 2015, Tonge said she asked Shamo and Crandall if she could play a bigger role to make more money, according to documents filed in court. The two men then allowed Tonge and Bustin to package the drugs for shipment.
Crandall showed them how to wrap the packages using a vacuum sealer and Mylar bags that he said would make the drugs undetectable, according to court documents. They used padded envelopes or priority mail envelopes bearing fake company names and regular postage stamps to ship the narcotics.
“Shamo’s customer base was extremely comprehensive and widespread, touching every corner of the United States from here in Utah,” Besser said. “It touched large cities and rural communities.”
From December 2015 to November 2016 alone, the operation mailed 5,606 drug orders totaling $2.8 million, according to court documents.
Besser said Fentanyl plays a major role in rising mortality rates due to opioid overdose.
“Many people die from Fentanyl drug overdoses who are wholly unaware that they were even taking the drug,” Besser said. “Street heroin is often laced with Fentanyl and the availability of counterfeit Oxycodone or Xanax pills pressed with Fentanyl have become commonplace on the streets. Users do not know they are getting Fentanyl. So today, more than ever, buying drugs on the street is truly a game of Russian Roulette.”
Fentanyl poses a serious overdose risk because it can rapidly suppress respiration and cause death due to its potency being so lethal, Besser said, adding that only 2 milligrams of Fentanyl is potentially fatal to a nonopioid user and that the drug can easily or accidentally be inhaled or absorbed into the skin.
Worldwide internet availability and low production costs have encouraged drug suppliers to cut their heroin with Fentanyl or press it into counterfeit pills, Besser said.
The takedown
Federal agents arrested Shamo on a federal complaint filed in November 2016. Agents discovered a pill press in Shamo’s Cottonwood Heights home capable of manufacturing several thousand pills an hour, Besser said. During the raid, agents seized 70,000 pills and $1.2 million in cash stuffed in garbage bags.
Crandall had fled to Australia with his girlfriend and was in Laos when agents raided Shamo’s house and his alleged co-conspirators’ house in South Jordan. Crandall was arrested earlier in May in Hawaii and made his initial appearance in federal court in Salt Lake City last Friday.
Shamo and Crandall are in federal custody. A summons to appear in federal court will be issued to Tonge, Bustin, Noble and Gygi.
The indictment
Count 1 of the federal indictment charges Shamo with knowingly and intentionally engaging in a continuing criminal enterprise.
Because of the volume of drugs involved in the case, Shamo faces mandatory life in prison if convicted of Count 1.
Counts 2 through 9 and count 12 of the indictment charge various defendants in the case with alleged violations of federal law committed as predicate acts in support of the continuing criminal enterprise.
The potential maximum penalty for Count 2 in the indictment, conspiracy to distribute Fentanyl, is life in prison with a mandatory minimum 10 years and a $10 million fine.
The potential penalty for Count 3, conspiracy to distribute Alprazolam, is five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Count 4 and Count 6, aiding and abetting the importation of a controlled substance (Fentanyl) have potential penalties of 40 years in prison with a mandatory minimum five years and a $5 million fine.
The potential penalty for Count 5, aiding and abetting the importation of a controlled substance (Alprazolam) is five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Counts 7 and 8, possession of Fentanyl with intent to distribute, have potential penalties of life in prison with a mandatory minimum 10 years in prison and a $10 million fine.
Count 9, manufacture of Alprazolam, has a potential penalty of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000.
Counts 10 and 11 of the indictment charge Shamo with knowing and intentional adulteration of drugs held for sale. The counts allege Shamo manufactured round blue tablets and offered those tables for sale on the internet as “Oxycodone 30 mg.” Count 10 alleges the tablets were debossed with markings that mimic the markings of legitimate Oxycodone tablets.
Despite those representations, the indictment alleges the defendants did not use Oxycodone at all in the manufacturing process, but instead, substituted Fentanyl, a much more potent synthetic opioid.
The indictment alleges the adulteration had a reasonable probability of causing serious adverse health consequences or death to humans.
The potential maximum penalty for Count 10 and 11, knowing and intentional adulteration of drugs while held for sale, is up to 20 years and a fine of $1 million.
The final three counts of the indictment allege conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering concealment and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activities.
The indictment also includes a notice seeking criminal forfeiture of currency, automobiles, a pill press and a variety of pill dies and punches used as a part of the alleged criminal enterprise.
Count 12, use of the U.S. mail in furtherance of a drug trafficking offense, has a potential penalty of four years and a $250,000 fine.
Money laundering Counts 13 and 14 have 20-year potential maximum penalties and fines of $250,000.
The final count of the indictment, engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from specified unlawful activity, has a potential penalty of 10 years and a fine of $250,000.
Investigators are still trying to track down whether the pills sold out of Utah have caused harm or death to anyone who used them, Huber said Wednesday. The drugs, he said, were sold from “here to Maine and everywhere in between.”
Special agents of Homeland Security Investigations, the DEA, IRS Criminal Investigation, FDA Office of Criminal Investigations and U.S. Postal Inspectors are investigating the case.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
ST. GEORGE — The St. George Police Department is investigating a report of an alleged kidnap attempt at Target retail store located at 275 S. River Road in St. George.
Police are requesting the public’s help Thursday in identifying a woman wanted for questioning in the active investigation.
Police are investigating a report of an alleged kidnap attempt Wednesday at Target retail store located at 275 S. River Road in St. George, Utah, June 1, 2017 | Photo by Michael Durrant, St. George News
At approximately 3:21 p.m. Wednesday, an unidentified woman was involved in a “very suspicious incident” at Target involving a 2-year-old boy, St. George Police Officer Lona Trombley said, noting that a police report regarding the incident was filed Thursday.
The woman wanted for questioning is described as being 50-60 years old, with short brown hair and a nose piercing, Trombley said, adding that the woman was wearing a teal-colored shirt with dark shorts.
Allyson Barlow posted on Facebook Thursday, urging mothers to be extra cautious at stores with their children after she said the unidentified woman tried to abduct her 2-year-old boy while she was shopping at Target.
“I was in the children’s clothing section and I turned around for a second,” Barlow stated in the post. “When I turned back around a woman had taken the stroller with (the child) in it and started walking away with him.”
The woman quickly apologized, but wouldn’t take her hand off the stroller right away, Barlow added, noting that the woman then touched her arm and said: “I’m so sorry. I have no idea what I was doing.”
The woman followed Barlow for a brief moment before Barlow left the store, she said.
“The security camera confirmed that she had just been walking along and the second she noticed (the child), she dropped her cart in the middle of the isle and came over and took him,” Barlow said.
Barlow said the woman looked “harmless” and had a nice, soft-spoken and calming voice.
Because the incident is actively being investigated by police, Trombley said Thursday evening that she could only provide limited information and that she was unable to confirm that the incident was an attempted kidnapping.
“While we’re currently investigating this incident, we can’t confirm that that’s what it was,” Trombley said. “The incident was, indeed, very suspicious and we are actively working to determine what happened there.”
As this report is published, Trombley said the Police Department is working to get surveillance photos of the woman released to the public for help in identifying the suspect.
The Police Department briefly posted photos on its Facebook Thursday of another woman matching the suspect’s description, but quickly removed the photos after determining the woman was not involved in the reported incident.
Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the St. George Police Department at 435-627-4300 and reference incident No. 17P013312.
Trombley said it’s important for citizens to remember to keep an extra eye on their children whenever they’re surrounded by other people in public.
“Things like this, we like to take an opportunity to just remind our parents, you know, that’s always a possibility when we go out and about,” she said. “There’s always a possibility that something could happen. So, you should always be diligent and pay extra attention, which in this case, you know, the mother was right there and paying attention.”
This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.
