ST. GEORGE — A suspect with an extensive criminal history was arrested within hours of a break-in reported at a salvage yard in St. George, a crime to which officers say the suspect was directly linked.

On Monday officers responded to a salvage yard after a report of a business burglary was called in shortly after 6 a.m. in St. George, and following their arrival, they were provided surveillance footage captured during the incident.

According to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest, the footage showed a white Jeep Grand Cherokee that had shown up on the property shortly after 1 a.m. that appeared to have entered the property from an adjacent yard that ran alongside the business.

The footage also showed the Jeep, still inside of the secured salvage yard, approach the locked gate where the driver stops, exits the SUV and disappears out of frame for a short while. He returns with a pair of bolt cutters, severs the lock and exits the property, taking the damaged chain and lock with him as he leaves.

While processing the scene, the report states officers “checked the area of the salvage yard and could not find where the vehicle had made entry. “

Two hours into the investigation, the business operator contacted police to advise the Jeep was found nearby. Law enforcement later learned the same suspect  who was seen in the surveillance footage had just exited the SUV and was last seen walking away from the business heading south.

The employee also told officers they knew it was the same Jeep, since the vehicle had the same type of damage to the undercarriage as the Jeep had sustained as it entered the yard through the adjacent property – damage that caused the vehicle to leak fluids, as did the SUV found abandoned nearby.

When officers returned to the scene, they found the Jeep parked near the yard and inside, the report states, they found what appeared to be a catalytic converter sticking out from behind one of the seats.

Meanwhile, officers spoke to a witness who said the suspect was last seen heading south away from the Jeep and officers started to canvas of the area. One officer then headed south and continued onto a dirt road, where he spotted a man who matched the suspect in the footage walking down the road.

As soon as the officer headed in that direction and the man spotted the patrol unit, a large Ford F-150 pickup clearly marked with “Police” down the side and a light bar on top, he took off running,

Using the patrol vehicle’s PA system, the report states, officers yelled commands at the fleeing suspect to stop, but when they went unheeded, they pulled off the road and a foot chase ensued.

“We are in full patrol police officer uniforms with badges and hats labeled with ‘Police,’” the officer wrote, while yelling at the suspect to stop.

The foot pursuit continued up a small hill where it abruptly ended when the suspect dropped to his knees and was taken into custody.

During a search of the suspect, officers located a Utah Driver’s License identifying the man as 38-year-old Cyril William Gubler, whom officers were familiar with from previous interactions with law enforcement.

Officers also noted the suspect was wearing a hoodie tied tightly around his face and was wearing a baseball cap, initially making it difficult to identify the man.

When officers brought the suspect back to the Jeep, they noticed the vehicle had out-of-state license plates and writing on the windshield of the SUV, similar to the markings typically found when a vehicle is turned over to a salvage company.

Officers learned the Jeep had been stolen from the salvage yard during the night, clarifying why they were unable to find any entry point or damage consistent with a vehicle entering the lot. They also recovered a duffel bag containing men’s clothing and a notebook with information reportedly linking the suspect to the stolen vehicle, the officer noted.

Gubler was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and has been charged with second-degree theft and five misdemeanor offenses, including two counts of criminal trespass, for entering the first business to enter the second commercial property, one count each of criminal mischief and failing to stop at command of law enforcement.

The suspect was also booked on multiple warrants, including one issued on a case filed in November 2021 involving an investigation into a fraud reported that was opened three months earlier.

In that incident, the report was taken by LaVerkin Police Department by a woman reporting charges on her bank account that she told officers she did not make, a detailed list of which was provided to authorities, according to charging documents filed in the case.

The bank records revealed two different ATM withdrawals were debited from the account, the first was recorded on Aug. 23 for $200, and the second took place two days later for the same amount.

Officers also found other bank transactions in Cedar City, including an ATM withdrawal at a credit union that was captured on the branch’s security system and a still of the person making the transaction was provided to police,. Officers were then able to identify the suspect in the photo as Gubler.

In November, officers attempted to contacted the suspect to schedule an interview, which is when they learned Gubler was incarcerated at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas.

Detectives traveled from Utah to the jail in Nevada to interview the suspect, but when Gubler immediately asked for an attorney, the interview ceased.

Just before leaving, detectives advised the suspect that charges would be filed against him in Washington County, which the report states is when Gubler “spontaneously” stated he was given the debit card and the PIN from the card owner. The suspect’s statement could not be corroborated when officers spoke to the account holder who denied ever giving the debit card, PIN or permission to the suspect to access the account.

According to the report, the alleged theft involved a family member of the suspect.

In November, the case was filed by the Washington County Attorney’s Office and Gubler was formally charged with third-degree felony acquisition of a financial card and misdemeanor theft. The case is still pending with the courts.

This is one of more than a dozen cases and convictions found during a review of the suspect’s criminal history, and the case is still pending with the courts.

Several attempts were made to obtain information on when the suspect was released from the Clark County Detention Center, all of which were unsuccessful.

Following Monday’s arrest, the suspect was formally charged with the offenses and made an initial appearance in 5th District Court on Friday.

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, 2022, all rights reserved.