Shoplifter’s charges enhanced for drugs in drug free zone near Wal-Mart, McDonald’s

WASHINGTON CITY – Washington City Police arrested a St. George man Sunday for felony drug possession and distribution after he reportedly attempted to steal merchandise from the Washington Wal-Mart, located at 625 West Telegraph Road.

William Joseph Capps of St. George, Utah, booking photo posted June 8, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News
William Joseph Capps of St. George, Utah, booking photo posted June 8, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

William Joseph Capps, 22, was arrested and charged with one second-degree felony for drug possession with the intent to distribute and two class B-misdemeanors for drug paraphernalia and retail theft.

According to the probable cause statement filed by Washington City Police Officer Trevor Edwards in connection with the arrest, a Washington Wal-Mart Asset Protection employee had Capps in custody on Sunday, after Capps attempted to steal more than $50 worth of merchandise from the store.

After viewing surveillance video, it was determined that Capps had parked a white Toyota truck in the handicap parking area just outside the Wal-Mart doors he was trying to exit.

“William denied having a vehicle and stated that he walked to Walmart,” Edwards wrote in the statement. “In searching William I found the keys to the white Toyota pickup he had driven to Walmart.”

In addition to the keys, Edwards found two cellphones and more than $600 in cash on Capps. Edwards also found that Capps had purchased two boxes of syringes from Wal-Mart prior to this incident.

A narcotics K-9 was called to the scene and alerted to an illegal controlled substance being present on the Toyota truck. The registered owner of the truck was on scene and gave consent to search the vehicle.

In searching the vehicle, officers found a distributable amount of heroin inside the truck.

Capps was arrested and booked into Washington County’s Purgatory Correctional Facility.

Capps’ drug-related charges were enhanced for being in a drug-free zone – with McDonald’s play area, Wal-Mart arcade, and Paul Mitchell Hair School all within 1,000 feet.

According to booking information, Capps’ bail stands at $11,263.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Related posts

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2014, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.