ST. GEORGE — Two people believed to have stolen a St. George city utility truck that contained an estimated $25,000 worth of tools have been identified thanks to tips from the public. Now police hope the public can help find them.
“Because of you, we were able to identify the suspects as Moses Smith and Maria Eason in the theft of a St. George City truck,” the St. George Police Department posted on social media Thursday.
According to affidavits attached to arrest warrants issued for Smith and Eason, people reported seeing the St. George utility truck northbound on Interstate 15, as well as pulling out of a Home Depot parking in Cedar City on March 30.
Police learned the identities of the alleged truck thieves when an individual living in northern Utah recognized Eason and contacted the St. George Police Department. He said he recognized her tattoo and also knew Smith.
Eason has a tattoo of a tree running from her hand to her shoulder on her left arm and was a noted characteristic police asked the public to watch out for.
Smith, 43, and Eason, 41, are listed as having addresses in Salt Lake City and West Valley City respectively.
According the affidavits, the two broke into the St. George wastewater treatment plant and stole one of the trucks on March 30 and were caught on security cameras. Images taken from the security footage were posted to social media by St. George Police earlier this week.
That same day, a treatment plant employee was contacted by another employee who told him he saw the truck in the Hurricane area around 4:30 p.m. and wondered if one of their trucks was missing, according to the affidavit statements.
A check of the vehicles at the treatment plant showed one was missing. Police were contacted and an investigation launched.
Police believe that Smith and Eason may still be in the area, St. George Police officer Tiffany Aktin told media Thursday.
According the warrants, the two face a second-degree felony charge of theft and misdemeanors for criminal trespassing and criminal mischief.
Anyone with any information regarding Smith and Eason’s location is asked to call the St. George Police Department at 435-627-4300.
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Twitter: @MoriKessler
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