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MONROE, Sevier County — Two 18-year-old men accused of having a kind-of chop shop for ATVs in Sanpete County were arrested Wednesday.
Warrants were issued Tuesday for Michael Bone, of Central Valley, and Dakota Curtis, of Monroe. Wednesday, they were stopped in the small town of Centerfield, just outside of Gunnison, in a stolen truck and arrested about 2:30 p.m.
The two are accused of stealing ATVs and dismantling them for parts, and changing the appearance of other ATVs by painting and making modifications, according to Sevier County Sheriff Nathan Curtis.
Some of the parts were allegedly sold on eBay and ksl.com, the sheriff said.
During the service of a search warrant at a Monroe home Tuesday, investigators seized two stolen ATVs — including one that belongs to the U.S. Forest Service — a stolen dirt bike and stolen ATV parts. The two ran from the house before investigators arrived, the sheriff said. They were believed to have fled in a stolen pickup truck.
The truck was eventually found abandoned and a second vehicle, which had the keys left in the ignition, was stolen. The second vehicle was the one the men were in when they were pulled over.
Investigators stumbled onto the case when they came across an ATV fire in the foothills of Annabella on Tuesday, the sheriff said. The vehicle turned out to be stolen, but the owner didn't realize it was gone until deputies showed up at his door.
Detectives went to Bone's residence after reviewing store surveillance video from Walmart in Richfield where ATV accessories were shoplifted on Monday. Another store in Monroe also reported that ATV parts had been stolen the same day. Investigators also reviewed their store surveillance tape and saw Bone and Curtis, according to the sheriff.
