ST. GEORGE — A man is in jail after the vehicle he allegedly stole was tracked by the owner who found the car in Santa Clara by setting off the car alarm that was still blaring when police arrived.
Officers in Santa Clara were dispatched Monday to a residence on Canyon View Drive on a report of a vehicle reportedly stolen in Washington City and tracked to the residence.
According to charging documents filed by the Santa Clara-Ivins Police, the registered owner tracked the vehicle to a home in Santa Clara, where he set off the car’s alarm system using the remote on his key fob. The alarm was still sounding when officers arrived and ran a records check on the vehicle to verify it was the one reported stolen.
Officers knocked on the door and were met by Cruzberto Alballar, 32, who was detained along with several other occupants who were inside the home. Armed with a warrant, officers searched the property and found the stolen vehicle “concealed in a detachable garage,” according to the report.
The vehicle was missing both license plates and the interior was torn apart when it was recovered by police.
During a search of Alballar’s bedroom, officers found two large bags of suspected methamphetamine, jars of what appeared to be raw marijuana, scales, clear baggies and three firearms — two pistols and one rifle.
A check of the serial number on one handgun came back as stolen during an unrelated vehicle theft reported in Washington City.
Officers ran a criminal background check on the suspect, which indicated he was a convicted felon and prohibited from possessing a firearm. The suspect was arrested and transported to jail in Washington County facing multiple charges, including three second-degree felony charges for possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, theft and theft by receiving/transferring a stolen vehicle.
He faces three counts of possession of a firearm by a convicted felon and possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance — each a third-degree felony, along with misdemeanor possession of paraphernalia.
Officers requested the suspect be held without bail based on several factors, including the seriousness of the charges, the number of firearms and narcotics found in the home, the number of connections the suspect has outside of Utah and the threat to the public should Alballar be released.
The request was granted and a no-bail order was signed by District Judge Jay Winward.
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