ST. GEORGE — A LaVerkin man is in jail on burglary and drug charges after three separate investigations by multiple agencies linked him to the alleged crimes.
John W. Adams, 32, is facing second-degree felony burglary of a dwelling and third-degree felony possession of a controlled substance. He also faces five misdemeanors, including theft, criminal mischief, possession of a controlled substance and two counts of possession of paraphernalia.
The first in a series of incidents that led to the charges was reported June 2 when Washington County Sheriff’s deputies were called to a residence on 200 North in LaVerkin on a reported burglary that took place the day before, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.
According to the statement, when the homeowner returned to his residence, he discovered that someone had broken into the home and property was missing. The owner told police he noticed that the air conditioning unit was damaged and appeared to have been removed, leading him to believe the suspect did so to gain access to the home.
Items reported missing included a sports figure, military coins, military ribbons, knives and several other items.
Deputies received information that Adams, who lives on the same property but in a separate living unit, was likely involved in the alleged crime, and the incident remained under investigation.
On June 15 police were dispatched to the same address on a reported stabbing. Investigation into the incident led to search warrants being issued for both units located on the property.
Read more: Police: Man stabbed while defending dog from knife attack in LaVerkin
During the search, officers located a backpack in a crawlspace in the laundry room area next to the defendant’s bedroom. Inside the backpack, police say they found “several military coins, military ribbons, a Minnesota Vikings figure and several other items.”
Investigators later tied the two incidents together, and the homeowner confirmed the recovered property was his.
During a subsequent search of Adams’s room, deputies allegedly found methamphetamine and marijuana. Inside a small safe, police state that they found drug paraphernalia, including syringes, tinfoil, spoons and a tourniquet.
On Thursday, officers were again dispatched to the residence on a report of disorderly conduct. The resident told officers that minutes before the call to 911, they were inside the home when they heard the living room window opening.
The resident looked out to find Adams near the window and confronted him, according to the police statement. The witness and the defendant “exchanged words,” and then Adams allegedly threw an electric iron at the door, causing a window in the door to shatter.
The defendant was then seen getting into the passenger’s side of a lifted Chevrolet truck loaded with items before speeding away.
An “attempt to locate” alert was broadcast to officers in the area, and the truck was found by Hurricane Police a short time later. Officers questioned Adams, who reportedly denied ever being in LaVerkin. He was subsequently detained while officers spoke to the truck’s driver. The driver told police he had driven Adams to LaVerkin to pick up his mail and dropped the defendant off at the trailer he recently moved from.
The driver denied any knowledge of what transpired earlier with the broken window, explaining that he dropped Adams off and continued to the end of the road to turn around, and by the time he reached the residence, the defendant jumped in the truck and they left.
Adams was then arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility where he remains on $15,680 bail.
This report is based on statements from police and may not contain the full scope of findings. 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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