BRIAN HEAD — Two male juveniles who were reported missing from a treatment facility near Brian Head on Sunday were arrested nearly 24 hours later, following a daylong search by personnel and K-9 officers from multiple agencies.
According to a news release sent via email Monday night by Brian Head town officials, the juveniles were reported missing about 6 p.m. Sunday from Monuments Residential Treatment Center on Dry Lakes Road near Brian Head. The facility specializes in drug and alcohol recovery programs for teenage boys.
Responding agencies that participated in the search included Iron County Sheriff’s Office, Brian Head Marshal’s Office, a K-9 unit from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Iron County Search and Rescue, along with three of their scent dogs.
The search was called off at about 1:30 a.m. Monday when dogs became fatigued and tracks were difficult to see in the grass and brush, the news release stated.
Police caught the proverbial scent again Monday at noon when a homeowner in Brian Head returned home to find items missing from the residence. She immediately contacted the Brian Head Marshal’s Office. Responding officers found evidence suggesting multiple residences in the area had been burglarized and that the two missing juveniles may have been involved.
Brian Head Marshal Dan Benson told Cedar City News Tuesday that a total of four homes are thought to have been broken into, three of which are within the town of Brian Head and the other one a short distance away but outside town limits. The items reported stolen included small personal electronic items, articles of clothing and some food, Benson said.
“There were indications that they had eaten in the cabins that they’d broken into,” he added.
Shortly after the burglaries were reported, Iron County Sheriff’s deputies, Iron County Search and Rescue and the DWR K-9 officer, named Carlo, were called back to the area to resume the search. A helicopter from Southern Utah University Aviation also assisted with the search efforts.
Then at about 5 p.m. Monday, after a few hours of unsuccessful searching, authorities received a tip that the two male subjects had been spotted in Parowan Canyon along state Route 143.
Units quickly responded to the area. K-9 Carlo and his handler quickly picked up a scent that led to the two juveniles, who were hiding in the brush along the highway. The pair then reportedly turned themselves in to a sheriff’s deputy who was patrolling in the area.
The two teens were subsequently transported to separate juvenile detention facilities, where they await possible criminal charges, according to the Brian Head Marshal’s Office, which is handling the investigation.
Neither of the teenagers is believed to have any known prior criminal history, Benson said.
Although Brian Head and surrounding areas were without electricity at the time the two boys first went missing, the power had come back on by the time the burglaries were reported Monday afternoon, Benson noted.
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