Out of state couple charged in string of thefts are sentenced

Composite image with background photo taken in April 2020 by Cody Blowers; overlay booking photos of Kevin Lamar Miller and Indra Pal Singh taken in Washington County, Utah, March 20, 2021 | File photos courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — An out-of-state couple has been sentenced in court following a string of thefts and vehicle burglaries that ended with a pursuit in Santa Clara in March – a case where each faced more than 40 charges.

L-R: Kevin Lamar Miller, 36, of Austell, Ga., and Indra Pal Singh, 27 of Houston, Texas, booking photos taken in Washington County, Utah, March 20, 2021 | File photos courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

The two defendants, 36-year-old Kevin Lamar Miller, of Austell, Georgia, and 27-year-old Indra Pal Singh, of Houston, Texas, appeared in 5th District Court for sentencing on a case filed March 23 following a pursuit in Santa Clara.

The cases were filed after officers arrested the pair near the Tuacahn Center for the Arts following a pursuit.

A stack of financial cards and identification cards were turned over to police who determined they were stolen during a series of break-ins and then discarded near the amphitheater. A bystander found the cards and turned them over to police.

Officers also recovered a glass-breaking tool, screwdrivers and gloves — tools the report states were consistent with what would be used to break into a vehicle.

The couple was believed to be part of a larger theft ring that moves from state to state in the warmer months targeting vehicles parked at trailheads or other remote areas to to burglarize, since the cars will be left unoccupied for an extended period of time.

Miller and Singh faced 40 charges – including 24 third-degree felony counts of unlawful acquisition of a financial card and a dozen additional misdemeanor charges – 11 counts of possession of another’s identifying documents and one count of vehicle burglary.

For Miller, all charges except misdemeanor failure to respond to an officer’s command were dismissed during a hearing held April 21. He was sentenced to serve 30 days in jail with credit for time served and was placed on 18-month’s probation. The defendant was released following the sentencing hearing.

Singh, the driver, pleaded guilty to eight of the charges during a hearing held June 3, including three counts of unlawful acquisition of a financial card, felony evading and four misdemeanors; one count of burglary of a vehicle and three counts of possession of another’s identifying documents, while the 32 remaining charges were dismissed as part of the settlement agreement.

Singh was ordered to serve 150 days in jail with credit for the 76 days she had been incarcerated since her arrest in March, while all prison and jail terms were suspended in the case. She was also ordered to pay $924 in fines and placed on three years’ probation.

This report is based on statements from court records, 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.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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