Public safety news from staff and wire reports
Salt Lake Tribune
Basketball players arrested in robbery cases This e-mail was initiated by machine [10.148.8.4] at IP [10.148.8.4].
Four men - two of them Dixie College basketball players - have been arrested following armed robberies at two businesses in St. George this week. Stanley Copeland, 19; Davan Evans, 18; Edwin Crichlow, 20, and Marc Caputo, 20, were arrested late Monday and Tuesday. Crichlow is from Boston and the others are from Las Vegas. Copeland and Evans were members of the Dixie basketball team. Dixie spokesman Chris Taylor said both players had been suspended from the team. Charges against the four include aggravated robbery, burglary and property theft. Police said two businesses, Pineview Stadium 10 and Burger King, were broken into and employees were threatened. In one of the robberies, a bandit fired a gun twice. The suspects were located on a tip from a resident, said police Chief Marlon Stratton.
Hand grenade found; it may be a dummy
An Orem resident found a hand grenade Tuesday night lying next to a fence in the area of 600 North 900 West. It was missing the pin that is pulled to make the device explode. Members of the Utah County Sheriff's Department bomb squad took the grenade to determine whether it was real or possibly a fake one from a gag "Complaint Plaque" that suggests pulling the pin if you have a complaint.
High school coach sentenced for sex with teen
A former Cedar Valley High School swimming coach and German teacher has been sentenced to probation and one year in jail for having sex with a 16-year-old female student. Mark Thiele had pleaded guilty in Cedar City's 5th District Court to second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse. Judge G. Michael Westfall said on Tuesday that Thiele, 36, could be released temporarily from jail for therapy sessions during the first three months. After that, he could be released for work and therapy. Thiele was fined $2,000 and ordered to pay $2,430 in restitution. Defense attorney Keith Barnes said Thiele was remorseful and cooperative with authorities from the beginning of the case, which came to light in 2004.
Former fire chief indicted in Web sex case
A former Unified Fire Authority fire chief charged in state court last week with enticing a minor over the Internet was indicted on a similar charge Wednesday by a federal grand jury. Dennis Steadman, 54, was arrested last month after arranging to meet a 13-year-old "girl," who was actually an undercover police officer. The grand jury returned one count of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, which carries a potential 30-year prison term.
Man charged with kidnapping, sexual abuse
A 41-year-old man was charged Wednesday with kidnapping a female acquaintance in January and sexually abusing her. James L. Green of Magna allegedly kidnapped the woman after driving her to a 7-Eleven in the Midvale area. Green was charged with a first-degree felony count of aggravated kidnapping, a second-degree felony count of forcible sexual abuse and a third-degree felony count of unlawful possession of a controlled substance.
Boy, 6, brings counterfeit cash to school
Police are investigating where a 6-year-old Sandy elementary school boy got counterfeit money. A teacher alerted police when the boy asked her for help using the counterfeit money in a vending machine. Apparently the boy also passed some of the fake money out to his classmates. The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office and Sandy Police are jointly investigating.
Murder suspect faces additional counts
The Summit County Attorney's Office has filed two additional charges against a 37-year-old man already facing a first-degree felony count of murder. Erik Kurtis Low is now charged with a count of obstruction of justice and a count of a restricted person in possession of a handgun. Both charges are third-degree felonies. Prosecutors say Low fired two shots into Michael Jon Hirschey, 38, on May 8, 2003, in Hirschey's Park City apartment. In February, jurors declared a mistrial for the murder charge against Low, but found him guilty of a class A misdemeanor count of carrying a concealed, dangerous weapon. A preliminary hearing for the new charges is scheduled for March 15.
Woman sentenced for tax-related thefts
A Richfield woman has been sentenced to 30 days in jail and 200 hours of community service after she was convicted of a felony count of theft by deception and a tax fraud-related charge. The 37-year-old woman filed several tax returns from 2001 to 2003 on behalf of family and friends, according to the Utah State Tax Commission. She directed more than $14,000 in refunds to her own bank accounts, according to the tax commission. A 6th District Court judge ordered the woman to pay a $500 fine and $14,682 in restitution. She also was placed on probation for 36 months. Seven other felony and misdemeanor counts filed against the woman were dismissed.
Alleged drug bust brings charges against 3
Three people were charged with felony and misdemeanor drug counts Wednesday after Utah Highway Patrol investigators allegedly found about 17 pounds of marijuana in a home. The investigators served a warrant at two residences they believed were involved in drug trafficking, according to court documents. In a home on the 4200 West block of Valdown Avenue (3060 South) in West Valley City, investigators found approximately 14 pounds of packaged marijuana in a duffle bag, according to the documents. They also found about three more pounds of marijuana in the home, according to court records. In the second home on the 700 East block of Gables Street (7045 South) in Midvale, investigators found almost 70 OxyContin pills and marijuana, according to the records.