CEDAR CITY — A 29-year-old man who was arrested in mid-December in connection with several vehicle burglaries in a Cedar City neighborhood has been sentenced to 120 days in jail plus three years’ probation.
Travis Anthony Clark pleaded guilty in late January to three third-degree felony charges – theft, burglary and weapons possession – in addition to one count of vehicle burglary, a class A misdemeanor.
As part of the plea agreement, several additional charges that had been originally been filed against Clark were dropped.
As previously reported in Cedar City News, Clark was arrested Dec. 13 by Cedar City Police following reports that several vehicles and a garage in the same neighborhood had been broken into during that weekend. Clark, who was reportedly staying at a nearby motel, was allegedly going through a dumpster when police responded to the scene.
During a sentencing hearing conducted via videoconference on Feb. 1, 5th District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen suspended any prison time and instead ordered Clark to serve 120 days in jail, with credit given for time already served.
Additionally, the judge suspended more than $32,000 worth of fines, leaving Clark to pay about $1,200. However, restitution was left open for a year, meaning victims may still file claims during that time.
Clark, who reportedly plans to go back and live in Colorado, will also be required to successfully complete 36 months of supervised probation, according to the agreement.
Iron County Attorney Chad Dotson said Clark helped his situation by cooperating with investigators following his arrest.
“The fact that the defendant was cooperative, accountable and contrite certainly factored into the state’s recommendations,” Dotson told Cedar City News.
“This is a case where the defendant rode around town with law enforcement and showed them what cars he had broken into, and was able to get much of the stolen property back to the victims,” Dotson added. “Where the defendant is going to live in another state, we sought a balance of both accountability and restitution. We will continue to monitor the case to make sure each victim is made whole.”
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