ST. GEORGE — Police say a man’s wallet and other items were recovered in St. George days after a chance meeting with a woman in Las Vegas — a discovery that ended with a suspect’s arrest on felony charges.
The investigation that led to the arrest began last Saturday when officers in St. George were tasked with following up on a theft reported by a complainant living in Las Vegas.
During the initial phone call, officers learned that two days prior, the reporting party had met a woman at an event that both were attending in Las Vegas, according to charging documents filed in 5th District Court.
The pair spent the evening together at one of the area hotels, the complainant said, and the following morning was when he discovered that his wallet, cell phone and his Apple Watch were missing.
When the man purchased a new phone on Saturday, the report states, he traveled to Utah where he was able track his original phone to a cell tower near the Zion Outlet Stores on Red Cliffs Drive in St. George.
With the location in hand, the reporting party told officers that while driving through the outlet stores parking lot, he saw the woman who he said he knew only as “Stephanie” getting into a gray Acura SUV with Nevada license plates, and he followed the Acura to a motel located on St. George Boulevard.
From there, he called to report the incident and also provided the tag number and location information to authorities in St. George.
Following the call, officers responded to the motel and noticed a sports utility vehicle matching the one described by the reporting party. Shortly thereafter, they obtained information on the guest who was seen driving the SUV.
A suspect was identified as 30-year-old Jennifer Leann Gularek. When shown an image of the suspect, police said the complainant confirmed it was the same woman he had met during the Las Vegas event two nights prior.
While speaking with the suspect, the report states that Gularek admitted to having been in Las Vegas several nights before, and went on to tell officers that she lives there.
When asked, the suspect denied having any of the man’s property and said officers would find nothing on her person, in her room or in her vehicle that did not belong to the suspect.
With the location data indicating that the cell phone was stationary in the general vicinity of the motel, officers obtained a warrant to search the room, the suspect and the SUV.
During a search of the SUV, officers said they found a cell phone in a case that had damage to a section of the screen that matched the description provided by the complaitant. In the center console, officers recovered a bank card issued in the reporting party’s name.
Also in the console was a Glock handgun that officers learned was reported as stolen in 2011 by the Las Vegas Metro Police Department, along with a plastic baggie that contained several loose bullets.
Officers also recovered a receipt that showed the complainant’s cards were used in an attempt to purchase gas in Las Vegas – a transaction that was declined.
They also recovered a large stack of loyalty cards that are typically issued by one of the many Las Vegas area casinos that was also fitted with a magnetic strip on the back of the card.
The officers went on to say these cards are often used to clone cards, a process that entails making an unauthorized copy of a credit or bank card and then transferring the data from a stolen card to a new card.
During an interview, police said the suspect admitted that she knew the complainant and had spent the evening with him several days prior, but claimed he had given her the credit card recovered from the SUV to purchase items when the two were shopping at a store together.
She went on to say she had purchased the firearm at a gun show in Las Vegas, but was unable to provide any receipts or paperwork from the purported sale, according to the report, and authorities also say that Gularek “had no explanation” as to why the man’s cell phone would be in the SUV.
The officer also noted the cell phone was valued at nearly $1,500, while the Glock had a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $599.
The suspect was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility facing multiple charges, including one count each of unlawful acquisition, possession or transfer of a financial card and unlawful use of a financial card – which are third-degree felonies. She also faces three misdemeanor charges that include two counts of theft by receiving stolen property and one count of obstruction of justice.
The suspect was released the following afternoon after posting a bond.
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.
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