ST. GEORGE — A federal grand jury in St. George recently returned an indictment charging three Cedar City residents with firearm offenses after they were accused of stealing multiple guns from C-A-L Ranch Stores in Cedar City.
According to court documents, Russell Wesley Gruber, 29, Darrell Glen DeVoge, 48, and Parker Darrell DeVoge, 20, are accused of stealing a total of 76 firearms from the Cedar City C-A-L Ranch store during the night of Nov. 21-22, 2023.
The nine-page indictment, a copy of which may be viewed by clicking here, includes listings of each stolen firearm. As alleged in the document, the defendants removed multiple guns from the store, including various rifles, shotguns, revolvers and pistols, with the intent to permanently deprive C-A-L Ranch Stores, a licensed firearms dealer, of those guns.
Additionally, Gruber and Darrell G. DeVoge allegedly stored several of the stolen firearms, which had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce, according to a U.S. Dept. of Justice news release issued Wednesday,
Gruber, Darrell G. DeVoge and Parker D. DeVoge are each charged with theft of firearms from a licensed dealer. Gruber and Darrell G. DeVoge are also charged with possession of stolen firearms and felon in possession of firearms.
According to the relevant section of U.S. code, the federal charges carry a potential prison term of up to 10 years, plus fines. As previously reported, the suspect’s actions were captured on the store’s surveillance cameras. All three men were arrested and taken into custody in late December.
Each of the trio also has related pending cases within the state court system, including multiple cases involving felony theft, burglary and firearms charges.
One recent set of charges, accuses Gruber and Parker DeVoge of burglarizing a home near 3800 W. and 1300 North in Cedar City and stealing approximately 20 firearms on Nov. 19, just days before the C-A-L Ranch incident. Gruber has also been accused of shooting the lock off a change machine at a Cedar City laundromat and stealing the money inside.
All three men are currently being held without bail in Iron County Jail.
Iron County Attorney Chad Dotson told Cedar City News that in light of the federal indictments, “Some charges will be dismissed but many cases and possible charges will stay with us.”
The trio made their initial court appearances on the federal indictment on Feb. 22, before a U.S. Magistrate Judge at the United States District Courthouse in St. George. A jury trial was set for April 29. U.S. Attorney Trina A. Higgins of the District of Utah made the announcement.
The investigation is being worked jointly by the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and the Cedar City Police Department.
Assistant United States Attorneys Christopher Burton and Brady Wilson of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Utah are prosecuting the case.
Meanwhile, the trio’s next scheduled appearances in the state’s 5th District Court have been set for May 7.
This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials 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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