Woman wanted on warrant out of Wyoming found hiding under bed in camper trailer in St. George

Composite image | Photo by Stelsone/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A local woman is being held without bail on multiple warrants issued out of Washington and Beaver counties, along with a fugitive warrant issued out of Wyoming after she was found hiding under a bed in a camper by police Friday afternoon.

L-R: Booking photo of Helina Tatum Freeman, taken in Sept. 2017 and a second booking photo taken in 2019, both in Casper, Wyo. | Booking photos courtesy of the Natrona County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

The arrest stems from an incident that began shortly before 3:30 p.m. Friday when officers were called out to a disorderly report involving a woman who was yelling and “threatened to kill” another individual, according to charging documents filed with 5th District Court. Officers were also notified that the suspect was last seen getting into a gold Chevrolet pickup truck and leaving the scene.

St. George Police officers spotted the pickup stopped near Snead Circle and spoke to the driver who was standing beside the truck when police pulled up.

Officers told the man they were looking for the suspect, later identified as 39-year-old Helina Freeman, of St. George, and asked if he had seen her, at which point police learned that the suspect “was hiding inside of his camping trailer” located nearby.

Police also learned that Freeman did not live there, and the only reason she was in the camper “was because she knew that she had a warrant for her arrest,” the officer noted in the report. The man then provided the keys to the camper to police.

Meanwhile, the suspect’s name was run through dispatch to check for warrants while officers entered the camper. Inside, they found Freeman allegedly hiding under the bed in the master bedroom portion of the camper.

Helina Tatum Freeman, of St. George, Utah, bookings photo taken in Washington County, Utah, April 10, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

Officers were then advised that Freeman had several active warrants out of Washington and Beaver counties, and she was taken into custody.

During a search of the suspect prior to transport, Freeman allegedly told police she had some methamphetamine and paraphernalia inside the pocket of her jacket, where officers located a black bag containing what appeared to be methamphetamine and multiple pipes during a search. The suspect was then transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility facing second-degree felony distribution of a controlled substance and misdemeanor paraphernalia charges.

While at the jail, the officer served six warrants issued out of Washington County and one issued out of 5th District Court in Beaver upon the suspect, several of which were issued back in 2013.

A short time later, the Washington County Attorney’s Office filed a fugitive from justice charge after receiving information that Freeman was featured in the past for a similar crime.

The Natrona County Sheriff’s Office in Wyoming was also looking for the suspect for probation violation in connection with a case involving possession of methamphetamine and forgery charges, according to a crime alert posted in the Oil City News.

The defendant appeared in 5th District Court in St. George on the current charges Monday as well as the out-of-state warrant and is being held without bail.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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