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HEBER CITY — Three people accused of stealing pay envelopes from seven Utah state parks, possibly since 2019, were arrested over the weekend.
Aaron Scott Edwards, 40, Colin Scot Mackintosh, 47, and Camille Eileen Edwards, 37, all of Ogden, were each arrested for investigation of engaging in a pattern of unlawful activity, seven counts of theft and possessing burglary tools. Each person was also arrested on suspicion of varying counts of drug possession and possession of drug paraphernalia.
According to police affidavits, starting in December 2019, seven state parks — Jordanelle, Wasatch, Deer Creek, East Canyon, Rockport, Echo, and Willard — "have had a rash of incidents where pay envelopes have been stolen from self-pay stations."
The amount of money taken from all seven parks over nearly a year-and-a-half "conservatively places the value of loss well above $1,500 per each state park," the affidavit states. At Rockport alone, more than $4,700 was taken from April 1 through April 24.
In each case, a "thick sticky residue" was left behind, the affidavit states.
Starting in June, parks officials set up trail cameras at several locations and "have accumulated hundreds of photos and videos of individuals using long metal objects to reach through envelope slots, and with the sticky substance retrieve the envelope containing the money paid by patrons of these parks," according to the affidavits.
On Saturday, the occupants of a 2003 Ford Escape, a vehicle that had been recorded in prior pictures and videos, took money from Echo at 4:30 a.m., Rockport at 4:53 a.m., and Jordanelle at 5:31 a.m., the affidavits state. That same vehicle was spotted in the area of Jordanelle about 2 p.m. Saturday by Utah State Parks officers who were en route to a gas station to collect more video evidence in the case, according to the affidavits.
The car was stopped by officers and three people were arrested after being questioned and their vehicle searched.
"The driver, Aaron Edwards, who was wearing the same sweatshirt as in all previous photos of that morning's theft and of previous theft openly admitted that he 'knew this day was coming' and provided us with the burglary tools used in the thefts," the affidavit states.
Camille Edwards also admitted stealing from various state parks, U.S. Forest Service areas and Bureau of Land Management properties over the past year, the affidavits states. She was in possession of drugs and drug paraphernalia with arrested, according to the affidavit.
Mackintosh initially denied being involved, but "was shown multiple pictures of him committing the crimes over the past year and was made aware of how we had sat on his residence in Ogden on several occasions and tracked his movements in 2020 until he wrecked his car one evening. He then stated that 'he was caught,'" investigators wrote in their affidavit.
"Search of the suspect vehicle also located several hundred dollars in cash, some with sticky residue on the bills, torn and sticky state park fee envelopes, various burglary tools, additional methamphetamines, paraphernalia, and heroin," the affidavit states.
Police also seized a "new air rifle, crossbow, and two amplifiers for speakers found in the backseat of the suspect vehicle (that) were purchased with funds stolen from state parks earlier in the day," according to the affidavit.
