Man arrested after allegedly burglarizing 3 vehicles in Enoch, including 2 belonging to cops

Photo shows Enoch Police vehicle, Enoch, Utah, July 22, 2020. | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — A man was arrested Sunday after allegedly burglarizing at least three different vehicles in the same neighborhood in Enoch, two of which happened to belong to law enforcement officers.

Taylor Matthew Button, 25, was booked into Iron County Jail on Sunday evening on suspicion of three counts of vehicle burglary, a third-degree felony.

According to a probable cause statement filed in support of Button’s arrest, Enoch Police officers responded to a report on Sunday morning that multiple items had been stolen from a private pickup truck belonging to an Iron County Sheriff’s deputy. The deputy’s wife noticed that morning that several items were missing from the vehicle, including a gun and ammunition, a wallet with credit cards and personal identification, and a pair of sunglasses.

Meanwhile, a Cedar City Police officer who lives nearby also reported that one of his personal vehicles had been broken into, the probable cause statement adds. That officer reported that his wife’s wallet was missing.

Photo illustration. | Photo by Rattankun Thongbun, iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

As responding officers were investigating, another neighbor reported having earlier seen a man who appeared to be hiding in a nearby farm field.

“Officers were called to the scene and set up containment but ultimately nobody was located,” the charging document states.

However, another resident of a nearby home was able to provide police with video footage of the suspect taken by a security camera.

Then, as the investigation continued, another neighbor on that same street reportedly told police that he had been renting a room to a man that had allegedly been caught recently going through items inside the home that didn’t belong to him.

The landlord then voluntarily opened the door to the renter’s room for the investigating officer, whereupon the deputy reportedly recognized his wife’s sunglasses, along with his own solar phone charger, sitting on a bed in plain view.

The deputy then told the landlord he suspected stolen items were located inside the room, and left the residence to obtain a search warrant.

After the warrant was approved by a judge, the suspect’s room was searched and various items that had been reported missing were located, the charging documents indicate.

Police subsequently located Button at a construction garage, where they questioned him after reading him his rights. Officers reportedly found a backpack and clothing matching those seen on the security video footage, along with bullets matching the caliber of the stolen handgun and several bags of coins.

The probable cause statement indicates that Button admitted to committing the thefts. He also reportedly led officers to a location in Cedar City where he had hidden the stolen gun.

Court records show Button has a criminal history in Utah dating back to 2016, including multiple cases involving drug and theft charges.

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and court documents 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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