ST. GEORGE — A Washington City man, who was arrested during a traffic stop following a short-lived police chase July 21 and booked on 18 criminal charges — including 13 drug- and theft-related felonies — is facing additional charges Monday as police continue to uncover more stolen property the man had in his possession.
After serving a search warrant on a storage unit belonging to Joshua Craig Cavanee, police discovered several sets of tires, including Omni Cargo tires with an estimated value of $1,440 and four BF Goodrich tires on Jeep rims estimated at $1,200, according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrest.
At the time of the search, authorities were unsure whom the tires belonged to.
A few days later, police received information about a burglary that had been reported at Direct Tires and Wheels in St. George, during which nine Omni Cargo tires had allegedly been stolen from a storage container on the side of the business.
“I called the manager of Direct Tire, and he informed me that he was the only person in the state that carried the Omni Cargo brand,” police wrote in the charging documents.
The manager confirmed the tires in Cavanee’s storage unit belonged to him. He also told police about a tire theft at the Stephen Wade Jeep dealership, reported earlier in the month. After an investigation into that theft, police went to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility, where Cavanee was incarcerated, to speak to him about the tires.
“I Mirandized him and talked to him about the tires, and he stated that he bought them from a guy off KSL,” the charging officer wrote. “I asked him if he thought they were stolen. He stated that when he was high he didn’t care, but thinking about it now he had an idea that they were stolen.”
Cavanee told police he bought the 12 brand new tires for $400.
On Monday, two additional class A misdemeanor charges of theft by receiving stolen property, as well as two class B misdemeanors for theft and criminal mischief, were added to Cavanee’s charges.
Cavanee was initially arrested during a traffic stop in Washington City July 21.
At that time, police located a firearm in his truck, which is illegal for him to have in his possession because he is a convicted felon. Police later determined the firearm had been reported stolen out of St. George.
Officers also located drugs and drug paraphernalia inside Cavanee’s truck. From there, officers allegedly located somewhat of a treasure trove of stolen items in Cavanee’s possession, including license plates, car keys, power tools and a trailer.
Cavanee was initially charged with 13 felonies and five misdemeanors, and 5th District Judge G. Michael Westfall ordered a $25,000 cash-only bail for Cavanee’s release on his original charges.
Cavanee was found indigent by the court 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.
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