Suspect arrested in Washington City for failing to return to jail following furlough

Photo by artisteer/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A man suspected of failing to return to jail following a temporary furlough was arrested by an officer in Washington City who was following up on a lead and was able to locate the fugitive and return him to jail.

Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane, Utah, Oct. 21, 2020 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

On Tuesday an officer received information on the whereabouts of 25-year-old Tielar Mikel Hibben, who had several active warrants for his arrest, according to charging documents filed with the court.

The officer learned the suspect was possibly staying in Washington City, and further details revealed that Hibben was wanted for failing to return to Purgatory Correctional Facility following a temporary release furlough and was being sought by authorities.

When the officer arrived at the address listed he found a white camping trailer parked to the east of the residence. The lights were on inside of the camper, enabling the officer to see someone moving around inside who then exited the camper for a brief moment.

Minutes later, a white passenger car pulled up to the camper and the officer advised the driver that Hibben was wanted by authorities, and according to the report, the officer also cautioned the driver by telling him that he could be arrested for harboring a fugitive. The man said he also lived in the trailer and agreed to allow police to search inside for the suspect.

The officer entered and found Hibben sitting at a table. He was then taken into custody and escorted off the property. During a search prior to transport, the report states the officer recovered a bank card that did not belong to Hibben, and when asked, he said he was given the financial card by someone else but had never used the card.

According to the arresting officer, it did not appear that Hibben had consent to use or possess the card at the time of his arrest.  He was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked on the warrants and one felony count of acquiring a lost or mislaid financial transaction card for use or sale.

He was also arrested on a warrant filed in March following a disorderly call that officers responded to at a residence in Washington City.

When police arrived they learned that a past tenant, identified as Hibben, had been evicted and was told by the owner to remove the camper trailer from the property. He failed to do so and was refused entry to the property a short time later.

The officer also discovered that Hibben had been issued a citation for trespassing after he was found on the same property the previous day, according to the report.

2016 file photo for illustrative purposes only of a camper trailer on Washington Dam Road, Washington City, Utah, December 2016 | Photo courtesy of Charlie Brown, St. George News

“Mr. Hibben has been given several warnings to leave the property and to remove his belongings but knowingly remains there,” the officer wrote during the March arrest.

When the suspect returned to the property the owner asked him to leave and if he refused then the owner would call police, to which Hibben allegedly responded by threatening to burn the man’s house down if he contacted authorities.

According to the officer, the threat caused the owner alarm and fear for the safety of his property and when the officer advised the suspect that he was being arrested, Hibben resisted by “forcefully pulling his arm away” and then twisted his body making it impossible for the officer to handcuff him.

It wasn’t until a second officer stepped in to help that Hibben was taken into custody and transported to jail. He was later charged with criminal trespass and interfering with an arresting officer, each a misdemeanor, and he was released shortly thereafter.

As the case proceeded through the courts the suspect was arrested the following month for an unrelated incident. When he failed to return to the jail following a temporary release furlough a Department of Corrections warrant was issued for his arrest.

Hibben remains in custody without bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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