CEDAR CITY — Two accused burglars were recently arrested in Cedar City after allegedly stealing firearms and other items from vehicles.
Travis William Edward Gunter, 22, and Thomas Leroy Evarts, 20, were booked into Iron County Jail in the early morning hours of Nov. 5 after being apprehended by police in a field on the northern edge of town.
According to the probable cause statements filed in support of the pair’s arrests, officers initially responded to the area on a report of a noise disturbance shortly before 2 a.m.
Upon arrival, officers observed two men wearing masks and dark clothing running from the scene, according to the affidavits. The men were subsequently stopped and questioned by police.
“Through the investigation, they stated they came to the area to burglarize vehicles and take items from vehicles that were unlocked,” the arresting Cedar City Police officer wrote in the affidavit.
After obtaining a warrant to search their vehicle parked nearby, officers reportedly found an allegedly stolen firearm that had its serial number scratched off, along with various types of ammunition.
According to the affidavits, the men are suspected of being involved in other vehicle burglaries in Iron County in recent weeks, wherein firearms were stolen and sold to buyers in Las Vegas, Nevada, and in the Cedar City area.
“Thomas does not have a job but keeps going back and forth to Las Vegas,” Evarts’s charging document states.
The police’s search of the vehicle also reportedly yielded drugs, including psilocybin mushrooms, plus “many” items of drug paraphernalia.
Evarts and Gunter are each facing two felony counts related to firearm theft and possession by a restricted person, along with various misdemeanor charges, including possession of drugs, paraphernalia and burglary tools.
Both men made their initial court appearances on Nov. 8.
On Monday, Nov. 13, Evarts appeared in court before 5th District Judge Matthew L. Bell and was bound over for an arraignment scheduled for Dec. 11.
Meanwhile, Gunter’s next scheduled court appearance is a status of counsel/detention review hearing on Tuesday, Nov. 14, before 5th District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen.
This report is based on information provided by 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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