ST. GEORGE — A man is back in jail in Iron County after he was extradited from California for violating an interstate compact agreement by allegedly defrauding a Southern California bank of more than $37,000.
Johnathan Colon, 31, of Van Nuys, California, was booked into the Iron County Jail late Thursday night on a no-bail warrant filed in 5th District Court in Iron County after he was extradited back to Utah from Southern California, Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Del Schlosser said.
The defendant was under an interstate compact agreement with California where he was to be fulfilling the terms of his Utah probation with authorities there, Schlosser said, which he allegedly failed to do. He added that one of the terms of that agreement is that Iron County hold the defendant without bail once he returns to Utah.
The case involved an arrest in August 2015 that resulted in five third-degree felony charges for unlawful acquisition of a finance card. The arrest took place during a traffic stop on southbound Interstate 15 near mile marker 44 where officers observed the car he was driving – a rental car he was not authorized to drive – allegedly going 92 mph in an 80 mph zone, according to charging documents filed with the courts.
During the stop police located multiple gift cards and credit cards that did not belong to Colon, a credit card skimmer inside a black speaker box in the rear seat of the vehicle and a number of credit cards that appeared to have been “shaved,” a technique where the raised numbers on the credit card are shaved off and placed on another card. Colon was later arrested and transported to jail.
After the case moved through the courts for more than a year, the defendant pleaded guilty to two of the charges in October 2016, with the remaining charges dropped as part of a plea agreement.
In February of the following year he was sentenced to serve 31 days in jail with credit for time served and pay a fine of $1,586. He was also ordered to complete 50 hours of community service and to report to Adult Probation and Parole, as well as comply with all standard release requirements. The prison term of up to five years on each charge was suspended in the case.
Colon was then approved for an interstate compact agreement with California, which is where he resided prior to his 2015 arrest in Iron County, and he relocated to Southern California where he was to complete the terms of his probation on the Utah case.
On April 9, Adult Probation and Parole in Utah was notified by the compact office in California that Colon was convicted of a felony fraud charge where he was sentenced to three years probation and ordered to pay more than $37,000 in restitution to Ally Bank in California, as well as obey all requirements of probation.
California authorities then requested that Utah “retake the defendant because of the violation of the compact rules” by committing a new felony crime, the probation report says, adding that Colon “continues to exhibit his high risk behavior by taking $37,902.98 from Ally Bank of California.” Later that same day, a warrant was issued out of 5th District Court in Iron County for Colon’s arrest.
The defendant remains in custody without bail.
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