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WHITE CITY — The Salt Lake Metro Gang Unit was looking for one of its top 10 most wanted fugitives Wednesday.
Unified Police Lt. Lex Bell said they found him, and a whole lot more.
By the time investigators completed their search of a home at 1068 Sego Lily Drive (10200 South), a total of six people were arrested on outstanding warrants, a counterfeiting and check forgery operation was busted in a back shed, two stolen vehicles were recovered, and the Salt Lake County Health Department condemned the house after methamphetamine was found inside, Bell said.
"To go after one fugitive and end up with six is fantastic. To recover check forgery and false I.D. and counterfeit operations is even better, and then for nobody to get hurt in the operation is even more amazing," Bell said.
The house has been a longtime nuisance in the area that neighbors have complained about for some time, according to the lieutenant. It became notorious among law enforcement for being a place where wanted fugitives would often go. In 2015, Bell said Jared Lance was found there. Lance made headlines in April for leading police on a wild 100 mph chase and attempted to hit two officers in the process.
Metro Gang Unit officers acting on a tip went to the house in the White City neighborhood of Sandy looking to arrest one of their top 10 fugitives, Delbert "Auggie" Auger, 30. Auger was wanted on a federal warrant for firearm violations.
"When they got to the area here and started holding surveillance on the house, they realized there was a stolen vehicle in the driveway, another vehicle that could potentially be stolen and a lot of people coming in and out of the house," Bell said.
After calling in backup from the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Strike Team — a force made up of U.S. marshalls and Unified police officers — police saw a man who they thought was Auger leave the house, carrying what appeared to be a gun in his back pocket, and followed the stolen vehicle he was driving to a nearby convenience store.
The man turned out to be James Mortensen, 46, who was wanted on warrants for possession of a stolen vehicle, drug possession and property crime. Moretensen was arrested without incident, and the gun in his pocket turned out to be a realistic-looking Airsoft pistol, Bell said.
A woman who was with him, Heather Denham, 28, was also arrested on drug-related warrants.
Meanwhile, additional officers followed another potentially stolen vehicle leaving the house. They stopped the occupants of the car, who informed officers that Auger was working in a shed behind the home.
Police surrounded the home and the shed, calling on a loudspeaker for Auger to come out. After sounds of shuffling were heard inside the shed, Auger and a woman came out, surrendering without incident.
The woman, Karen Oreilly, 49, was wanted on parole violations and was taken to jail.
Inside the shed, officers discovered what they suspect was an active forgery operation, apparently producing counterfeit checks, personal documents and cash.
"There were multiple laptops, a printer, basically a whole little factory in this shed for forging documents and printing them," Bell said.
In preparation for writing a search warrant on the house, officers called for anyone inside to come out, "and amongst them were a couple more fugitives who came out the door," he said. "All told, they detained over a dozen people and at least six went to jail, several of which were state parole fugitives and one federal fugitive, and others with felony warrants."
Donald Stockstill, 24, was arrested on warrants for retail theft, criminal mischief and assault. Kenny Shaw, 54, was also arrested, according to police.
Bell said the interior of the home was littered with drug and forgery items in plain view: methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana, needles, a counterfeit $50 bill, laptops and printers.
"We hope that the neighbors who are sick of this place, frankly, that they'll get a little bit of relief," he said.
Contributing: Brianna Bodily
