Hurricane Police arrest woman for alleged credit card theft; investigation yields multiple charges

Composite image, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A LaVerkin woman appeared in court Thursday on multiple charges following her arrest on Tuesday when an officer recognized her from surveillance footage where she was allegedly seen using a stolen credit card to purchase items at two Hurricane stores.

The recent case comes in the wake of several other charges filed against her over the past four months in both Washington and Salt Lake counties.

Booking photo of Mariah Arlene McQueen, 22, of LaVerkin, Washington County, Utah, Sept. 4, 2018 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

On Wednesday, 22-year-old Mariah McQueen, of LaVerkin, was formally charged in Washington County with one third-degree felony count of unlawful acquisition of a finance card and one class B misdemeanor count of knowingly using false financial transaction card for credit/goods after she allegedly used the card to pay for purchases Tuesday at Lin’s Market and Walgreens on State Street in Hurricane.

According to a probable cause statement filed by Hurricane Police, McQueen was arrested after an officer recognized her as the suspect seen in the surveillance footage captured by the stores.

During questioning, McQueen admitted to frequenting both stores Tuesday and also admitted to using a credit card but that “she didn’t know who’s card it was,” police said in the court record.

McQueen also told police that a friend had given her the card to use for purchases, that she knew the name on the card did not match her friend’s name and that she returned the card to the friend after using it at both stores.

Police then confiscated a handbag McQueen had with her while being questioned by the officers. They also requested the black backpack the woman was seen carrying in the surveillance footage.

At that point she was placed under arrest and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility.

During the investigation, police collected evidence that yielded further charges, including three additional felony counts of unlawful acquisition of a finance card and three class A misdemeanor counts of vehicle burglary, along with two counts of knowingly using false financial transaction card for credit/goods and one count for theft, both class B misdemeanors.

The most recent in a string of charges

According to Utah court records, there are multiple cases pending against McQueen in both Washington and Salt Lake counties.

On May 30, officers in Washington City arrested a male passenger for outstanding warrants during a traffic stop of a vehicle McQueen was driving, and during a search of the vehicle, police say they found heroin, methamphetamine and marijuana inside of the car.

McQueen was later arrested, and multiple charges were filed, including three misdemeanor counts of possession or use of a controlled substance, one count of possession of drug paraphernalia and eight traffic infractions. Court records indicate that McQueen plead guilty to the charges and is awaiting sentencing.

In Salt Lake County on July 16, McQueen was arrested in Sandy, Utah, after officers allegedly found drugs on her person, including 11 pills, along with a check and deposit slip in another individual’s name, which McQueen told police she found in a trash can, court documents say.

Charges were filed in August in West Jordan District court and included one count of possession of another’s identity and two counts of possession of a controlled substance, which are class A misdemeanors, along with one class B misdemeanor count of possession/use of paraphernalia.

McQueen failed to appear, and a warrant out of Salt Lake County was issued for her arrest.

Approximately two weeks after the Salt Lake County arrest, McQueen was arrested in Washington County after she and another individual allegedly stole a mountain bike valued at $5,000 from the front porch of a home in LaVerkin, court records show, which resulted in charges being filed three days later.

Those charges include one third-degree felony count for theft, $1,500-5,000 or priors, one count of evidence tampering and one count for drug possession, schedule 1,2, both class A misdemeanors, as well as one class B misdemeanor count for possession of paraphernalia.

This report is based on statements from 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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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.

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