ST. GEORGE — A St. George man facing multiple felonies relating to alleged drug and theft offenses had several of the charges dismissed after agreeing to a plea deal Friday.
During his appearance in 5th District Court in St. George, 34-year-old Benjamin Michael Westfall pleaded guilty to three third-degree felony charges, including two counts of burglary and one count of retail theft. He also pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of failure to stop at an officer’s command.
As part of the plea deal, six felony charges were dismissed, including one second-degree felony count of distribution of a controlled substance and five third-degree felony charges, including three counts of retail theft, one count of theft and one count of criminal mischief.
Fifth Circuit Court Judge Brody Keisel presided over the case, which relates to Westfall’s June 9 arrest on eight outstanding felony warrants.
The defendant was charged with three additional misdemeanors at the time of his arrest, including failing to stop at an officer’s command, possession of drugs and possession of paraphernalia, all of which were dismissed during Friday’s proceedings.
Two other felony charges of criminal mischief and theft were also dismissed involving a case in which the defendant was suspected of causing more than $25,000 in damage to a rental property during an eviction.
The final charge to be dismissed was a felony drug charge for alleged illicit possession of Adderall.
Westfall is scheduled to appear in 5th District Court for sentencing Aug. 9. The defendant remains in jail without bail.
This report is based on statements from police or other responders 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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