ST. GEORGE — A man and woman from California charged with more than 30 felony crimes between them were both sentenced in 5th District Court at the beginning of the month. The charges stem from an arrest where officers recovered a significant number of financial cards and checks the couple claimed to have found on the street during last year’s Black Lives Matter protests.
Kylie Gregory-Kinslow, 22, of Pleasant Hill, California, appeared before District Judge Michael G. Westfall for sentencing at the beginning of the month on third-degree felony forgery and unlawful acquisition of a financial card, as well as two misdemeanors, including mail theft and possession of a controlled substance. She pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced March 4.
Deno Henry Cabrera Jr., 25, of Bay Point, California pleaded guilty to 17 charges during a resolution hearing held in January, including 10 counts of acquisition of a finance card without consent, three counts of forgery, one count of possession of a forgery device and two counts of mail theft.
The charges stem from an incident in June 2020 in Hurricane when an officer stopped a vehicle for speeding and then searched the car after he smelled the odor of burnt marijuana.
During the search, authorities reportedly recovered a “large amount of debit, credit and gift cards in cloth bags.”
The cards were imprinted with various names, none of which belonged to the two occupants in the vehicle. Officers also recovered multiple gift and financial cards imprinted with various names, a book of checks belonging to a couple in Hurricane and also a printer that was found inside of the trunk.
During their interviews by authorities, Kinslow explained that the two had been traveling together for a few weeks and were staying at a hotel in Springdale, an account corroborated by Cabrero, who added that just before the couple left the Los Angeles area, they both “got caught up in the protest” going on in Southern California and both “picked up random items and bags off the street,” that were blowing around in the wind.
During Kinslow’s hearing she was sentenced on the four charges she pleaded guilty to and the 13 remaining charges, including nine counts of acquisition of a finance card without consent, two counts of forgery, one count of possession of a forgery device and one count of mail theft were dismissed in exchange for a guilty plea.
She was placed on 36 months of supervised probation and entered into a plea in abeyance agreement with the court, during which she must commit no further offenses and must submit to warrantless searches and adhere to the terms of her probation.
If she violates any of the terms of the agreement, the guilty pleas will stand and she will be sentenced on the charges. If she successfully abides by the agreement, the various charges are to be dismissed at the conclusion of the three-year probationary period.
Following Cabrero’s guilty plea, he then entered the Washington County Drug Court Program, a year-long program that involves frequent testing and court supervision for those charged with nonviolent drug offenses.
Once a defendant decides to enter the program and the request is approved, they plead guilty to the charges that are then held in abeyance until the successful completion of the program, at which point the charges are to be dismissed.
Cabrero was released from jail following the hearing after spending nearly nine months in custody since his arrest in June. Kinslow was released shortly after the arrest by posting a bond.
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.