Suspect arrested in Washington City 3 days after his release from Juab County Jail

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ST. GEORGE — A man is in jail facing multiple felony charges in connection with an incident reported weeks before, when a pickup truck that was loaned to a family member was not returned to the owner, police say.

2019 file photo for illustrative purposes of Washington City Police officers responding to Red Hills Drive, Washington City, Utah, Feb. 21, 2019 | File photo courtesy of the Washington City Police Department, St. George News

Charles Uriah Wright, 41, was arrested Sunday in Washington City and booked into jail facing two second-degree felony theft charges. He also faces three third-degree felony charges that include obstruction of justice and two firearms offenses.

The arrest stems from an incident reported on Jan. 14, involving the theft of a pickup truck.

Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St George News that the owner of the pickup told police he had loaned the truck to a family member, who reportedly let the suspect use the truck without the owner’s knowledge or consent. It wasn’t until later, Williams said, after the pickup was not returned at the agreed-upon time that the owner learned of the situation, and he also told officers there were two handguns inside the vehicle when it was taken.

Officers tracked down a girlfriend who told authorities that the truck had been abandoned after the suspect, who was a convicted felon, learned there were firearms in the vehicle. Charging documents also state that officers responded to the location provided and found the pickup but were unable to find the two guns.

A search of the area surrounding turned up nothing, and during a phone call with police, the suspect said he took the firearms out of the truck and hid them, but when officers asked, he reportedly refused to tell them where the guns were hidden.

Through the course of the investigation, officers were unable to locate the suspect and the search continued.

Unbeknownst to the officers in Washington City, Wright was arrested two days after the incident involving the stolen vehicle, Williams said, and the suspect was still sitting in a Juab County jail facing a felony burglary charge.

In that case, officers responded to the tow yard located on Main Street on Jan. 16, after one of the drivers reported that one of the locks securing the tow yard had been cut. The driver said he arrived at the yard at 8:30 a.m. to drop off a vehicle when he noticed the breach.

Once inside, the driver noticed several black lug nuts on the ground, along with a socket tool located nearby.

During a review of the company’s surveillance footage, officers watched as black Hyundai Elantra hatchback pull up to the property the previous evening shortly after 9:30 p.m. A woman wearing dark-colored pants was seen approaching the gate, followed by a man wearing a long coat and high-rise boots who appeared to be working on the lug nuts securing the driver’s side tire on the Elantra.

Less than 20 minutes later, both were seen entering the tow yard and within minutes, the pair got back into the Elantra and took off.

Meanwhile, officers received a report of another theft at an automotive company nearby, where employees spotted several lug nuts scattered across the pavement in the storage lot where several vehicles that were scheduled for service were parked.

During a canvass of the lot, officers discovered nearly all the lug nuts on each of the cars in the storage lot were missing, and on several of the cars there was only the locking lug not still attached.

The evidence was collected and transported to the Nephi City Police Department, and shortly thereafter, officers were notified that a license plate reader had captured an image of the suspect’s vehicle heading north toward 1600 Main St.

Officers collected surveillance footage from multiple stores and gas stations in close proximity to where the license plate photo was captured, footage that showed two individuals wearing the same clothing as the suspects.

The following day, authorities entered the suspect’s license plate number into the city’s license plate reader alert program. Later that same day, officers responded to an alert indicating that the suspects were heading into Nephi City, and an “attempt to locate” was broadcast out to all surrounding agencies.

Less than an hour later, a Millard County Sheriff’s deputy spotted the Hyundai heading south on Interstate 15 and conducted a traffic stop near Fillmore.

2020 file photo for illustrative purposes only of Washington City Police officers near Interstate 15 offramp in Washington City, Utah, Sept. 15, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Washington City Police Department, St. George News

The driver was identified as Wright and he was taken into custody by police. He was then transported to the Millard County Sheriff’s Office for an interview. The passenger, deputies learned, turned out to be one of the suspect’s stepchildren.

The suspect appeared confused, the report states, as he told investigators that he could not remember where he was on the night of the burglaries, and later he said he was driving to Salt Lake City when the crimes occurred.

He also admitted to stopping at the gas stations and stores when asked by police, and said he was having problems with the lug nuts on one of his wheels that kept coming loose – and said “nobody would help him.”

The suspect, investigators noted, said “he felt as though he was being pushed to commit a crime.”

When confronted with the security footage, the suspect reportedly admitted to cutting the lock, after his codefendant was unable to do so, and also told investigators he had left one lug nut on each of the wheels so the owners would know they were missing and “nobody would get hurt.”

The suspect was booked into jail and later charged with two third-degree felony counts of theft, along with two misdemeanor counts of criminal mischief.

Officers also requested the suspect be held without bail, citing the defendant has a long criminal history that includes violent felonies and other burglaries, including a 2018 case involving a residential break-in.

Following the arrest in Juab County, bail was set at $5,000, and the suspect remained in custody up north until Jan. 26, when he was released after posting a bond. He was arrested three days later at his home in Washington City.

On Tuesday, the suspect made an initial appearance in 5th District Court and he remains in jail without bail. The case in Juab County is still pending with the courts.

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. 

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

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