4 people in motorhome arrested on I-15 near Cedar City after report of retail theft

File photo of Cedar City Police vehicles, Cedar City, Utah Aug. 10, 2022 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — Four occupants of a motorhome were arrested following a traffic stop on Interstate 15 a few miles south of Cedar City on Friday afternoon.

Cedar City Police Sgt. Justin Ludlow told Cedar City News that the incident began shortly before 4 p.m. on a report of a retail theft at Walmart.

An attempt-to-locate broadcast went out with a description of the vehicle, said Ludlow, adding that a Utah Highway Patrol trooper spotted the motorhome and pulled it over a short time later on southbound I-15 near mile marker 49.

The UHP trooper then notified the Cedar City Police officer who handled the initial call, and that officer responded to the scene.

“He then did the investigation from there and impounded the vehicle,” Ludlow said of the Cedar City Police officer who made the arrests.

2021 file photo for illustrative purposes only of Iron County Jail, Cedar City, Utah, Nov. 24, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The two men and two women inside the vehicle subsequently were booked into Iron County Jail on Friday evening. They were identified as Samer Haddad, 33, Michael Haddad, 21, Jenny Mawyin, 45, and Amelia McDougal, 19. According to the arrest reports, McDougal is listed as residing in Cedar City, while the other three are from Las Vegas.

Mawyin, who was identified as the motorhome driver, faces charges of driving without insurance, driving on a suspended or revoked license, not having proper vehicle registration, false vehicle title, possession of drugs and paraphernalia and obstruction of justice.

Meanwhile, Samer Haddad faces charges of forgery, a third-degree felony, and various misdemeanor counts, including possession of drugs and paraphernalia, using another person’s identification and obstructing justice. He also reportedly had an outstanding warrant as a fugitive from justice.

Michael Haddad and McDougal both face multiple misdemeanor drug and paraphernalia charges. 

The drugs in question allegedly included methamphetamine, heroin and marijuana.

Ludlow said the obstruction of justice counts came about after officers found at least one person hiding in the vehicle as they prepared to inventory its contents.

As of Monday evening, none of the four arrestees had made their initial court appearance.

This report is based on information provided by law enforcement sources 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, 2023, all rights reserved.

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