ST. GEORGE — A man with a 30-year criminal history suspected in two business burglaries was arrested early Tuesday after burglary tools were found in the truck he was driving.
An officer patrolling the Bluff Street area shortly after 1:30 a.m. noticed a silver Dodge pickup truck heading north near Sunset Boulevard. The truck matched the description of a vehicle connected to a number of business burglaries reported during the previous two days, according to charging documents filed with the court.
One of the burglaries reported Monday involved a hotel restaurant located on South Auto Mall Drive. Officers had responded to the scene and reviewed surveillance footage that showed a man entering a closed area of the restaurant by bypassing a sign affixed to a chain that stretched across an entrance on Sunday night.
Officers say the man in the video had the same distinctive tattoos as the suspect who was seen entering an office just off the kitchen area and then leaving several minutes later with items reportedly concealed under a jacket.
Police say more than $1,700 in gift cards and cash were taken from the office, along with the jacket the suspect used to conceal the items as he left the building. The suspect was then seen driving out of the hotel parking lot.
The man, later identified as Marshall Daniel Eichman, 42, was known to be a frequent guest at the hotel.
Early Tuesday, the officer working patrol on Bluff Street saw a pickup pass and recognized the driver as Eichman, who also had a suspended license and an active warrant for his arrest.
After taking a detour into a fast-food restaurant parking lot, Eichman headed south on Bluff Street and eventually left the roadway and went into a ditch against the curbing near Diagonal Street, the report states.
The officer got behind the truck and activated his lights. The suspect accelerated out of the ditch, causing the truck to hit the curb and jump onto the sidewalk.
With the vehicle stopped, the officer approached and spoke to Eichman, who had bloodshot eyes and was slurring his words, according to police, and later refused a field sobriety test.
Eichman was taken into custody for suspected impairment and for reportedly having burglary tools in the vehicle.
During an inventory of the vehicle, officers recovered cash in denominations identical to what was taken from the restaurant during the break-in, along with a bag of cash in small denominations consistent with a bag that contained the wait staff’s tips reportedly taken from the business.
Officers also recovered three of the nearly 20 Visa $50 gift cards that were stolen, and the same gift card investigators said Eichman was seen using throughout the day.
On the floorboard of the pickup, officers also found a metal grinder with cutting blades attached, equipment typically used to break into secured buildings.
When asked, Eichman reportedly denied having any stolen property at his home located within a block or so from the scene. During a search, officers found methamphetamine and other controlled substances but did not find any other property related to the break-ins, according to the report.
Eichman was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail initially facing a dozen charges, including four third-degree felony counts of unlawful acquisition of a financial card, along with eight misdemeanor charges that include two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.
He also faces one count each of theft by receiving stolen property, possession of burglary tools, driving on a suspended license with prior conviction and DUI.
When detectives learned Eichman was booked into jail following the traffic stop, they submitted two felony charges, including one count each of burglary and theft. Eichman also faces one count of criminal trespass and a charge for driving on a suspended license, each a misdemeanor.
Following Tuesday’s arrest, the officer requested that Eichman be held without bail, due to his being a convicted felon out of California that also has a long criminal history in Utah. His criminal history in California includes more than 40 arrests involving charges such as automobile theft, rioting, burglary and a range of other crimes.
Eichman has been arrested nine times in Utah and has been charged with receiving stolen property, burglary, drugs, domestic violence and theft of a motor vehicle, the officer adds.
Eichman “has an astounding 51 arrests covering the last 30 years,” wrote the officer, adding that his “continued behavior of committing felony thefts and burglaries is a clear and present danger to the community in St George.”
The request was approved by the court and a no-bail order was signed.
This report is based on statements from court records, 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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