CEDAR CITY — A 29-year-old man was arrested Sunday in connection with multiple vehicle burglaries over the weekend in Cedar City.
According to Cedar City Police reports, several vehicles and one detached garage were broken into on Saturday and Sunday, all in the same neighborhood, roughly between 1400 and 1600 West and between 300 and 400 North.
Officers were dispatched to the scene Sunday by a neighborhood resident who had called police after seeing the suspect entering a vehicle and recording the man’s actions on video.
Travis Anthony Clark, who was reportedly found going through a dumpster by police at the scene, was subsequently arrested and booked into Iron County Jail on multiple charges, including one second-degree felony count of theft of a firearm, three third-degree felony counts related to burglary, theft and possession of weapon by a restricted person, as well as nine misdemeanor counts of either burglary of a vehicle or theft.
Police say Clark is not from Utah and has no ties to the Cedar City area and was staying in a nearby motel. Clark reportedly has a felony conviction in Colorado, according to a probable cause statement filed in support of his arrest.
The stolen property included a rifle, ammunition, knives, a bow and arrow, other hunting equipment, power tools and cash, the affidavit said.
“Officers followed his boot prints to a residence where he hid a backpack with stolen goods inside it,” the statement said, adding that after being read his Miranda rights, Clark eventually admitted to being responsible for multiple vehicle burglaries in the area.
After first leading police back to the motel, where additional allegedly stolen property was located, Clark then reportedly agreed to drive around with police and show them the locations from which the various items had been stolen.
The alleged thefts ranged from small amounts of money — pocket change was taken from one car and $2 cash from the backseat of another — to more than $1,500 worth of hunting equipment and tools in the incident involving the detached garage.
In another instance, Clark had allegedly entered a truck to look for items to steal, but ran off without taking anything due to the homeowner chasing him away, the probable cause statement said.
Clark, who remains in custody without bail at the time of this report, has his initial court appearance scheduled for Tuesday afternoon via videoconference before 5th District Judge Matthew Bell.
This report is based on information provided by law enforcement 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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