Man in prison for hurricane case now linked to string of burglaries in southern Utah – St George News

2021 File photo for illustration purposes only of a Hurricane Police vehicle taken October 14, 2021 | Photo courtesy of Hurricane Police Department, St. George News

Saint George — A man arrested during a traffic stop on drug and weapons charges in Hurricane won't be returning to his home state anytime soon – after allegedly being linked to a series of storage facility break-ins in Parowan.

On Wednesday, Daniel Thomas Otoole, 45, of Bakersfield, California, appeared for sentencing in a case filed on July 8 after he was arrested the previous day during a traffic stop on State Street in Hurricane for a traffic violation that ended with a search of the man's vehicle.

During the search, Hurricane Police officers found a rifle, ammunition and two clear baggies containing suspected methamphetamine, court documents state. Police say the back of the vehicle was also filled with tools and miscellaneous items that Otoole allegedly kept in the vehicle because he had no other place to keep them.

A background check later revealed that there was an arrest warrant from North Dakota in a robbery case.

Otoole was arrested and booked into jail on a felony weapons charge and four minor misdemeanors for possession of a controlled substance and paraphernalia. Investigators noted the case is still open while they try to find the owners of the items recovered from the car.

According to the police report, much of this property was reported stolen in a series of break-ins at storage units in Parowan. The first break-in was reported on July 9, when a caller told officers he found evidence of a forced entry when he arrived at his storage unit, including a damaged deadbolt.

After the initial call, five other residents reported similar break-ins at the same storage facility in Parowan. One complainant told officers a new Dewalt hammer drill and storage containers were missing from his unit, which was broken into after the lock was picked, the report said.

Another party said a briefcase containing a checkbook and military documents was stolen, while others reported damaged locks and equipment that appeared to have been rummaged through.

Following Otoole's arrest, a Hurricane Police detective contacted Parowan officers to inform them of stolen items found in his vehicle, including a checkbook that reportedly matched a checkbook stolen during the storage unit break-ins.

Detectives in Parowan subsequently charged him with six counts of third-degree burglary.

On Wednesday, Otoole was sentenced to 60 days in jail in the Hurricane case after the charge was reduced to a misdemeanor as part of a plea agreement.

The following day, the defendant appeared by video in 5th District Court in Cedar City on the six counts of aggravated burglary, and a preliminary hearing to dismiss the charges was scheduled for Monday.

For now, Otoole remains in custody in Washington County while he serves his sentence in the Hurricane case.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other law enforcement agencies and may not contain the full extent of the findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or until a trial judge determines otherwise.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.