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WALLSBURG, Wasatch County — Three people are facing numerous charges after police reported finding a chop shop in a remote area of Wasatch County.
Tyler Boyd James Hewitt, 32, of West Jordan; Trista Roxanne Samson, 27, of Magna; and Trenton Bailey Gates, 27, of Centerville; were each charged on Monday in 4th District Court with three counts of altering a vehicle ID number and eight counts of vehicle theft, second-degree felonies; unauthorized possession, a third-degree felony; drug possession, a class A misdemeanor; and possession of drug paraphernalia, a class B misdemeanor.
Samson and Gates were also charged with giving false information and obstruction of justice, class A misdemeanors. Gates faces an additional charge of unlawful possession of someone else's identification, a third-degree felony. Hewitt received additional charges of being a restricted person in possession of a gun, a third-degree felony; and marijuana possession, a class B misdemeanor.
Wasatch County sheriff's deputies and Heber City police served a search warrant on Sept. 20 on a large piece of property near 1700 E. Main Canyon Road in Wallsburg.
Five stolen vehicles, a stolen motorcycle and a stolen ATV were found on the property, according to a jail booking affidavit. Ten flatbed trailers with vehicle identification numbers removed were also found, police said, and one of the trailers was reported as being stolen.
"Throughout the property, detectives located several car parts (including) several motors, transmission, rear ends, cabs and beds among other automotive parts. With this detectives believed the property to be an active chop shop. Detectives contacted the Division of Motor Vehicles and asked that they respond to assist with identifying items," deputies wrote in the affidavit. "After inspecting the vehicles they advised detectives that they had located two trucks that the frame VIN numbers did not match with the cab numbers.
"They advised detectives that from what they had seen, this was consistent with chop shops they have investigated in the past," the affidavit states.
One of the stolen trailers also had $30,000 worth of drilling-style pipe on it that was had been reported as stolen, according to police.
At the time the affidavits were written, deputies noted "the property is approximately 100 acres and with the amount of car parts, tools, construction equipment and other items located on the property, detectives have only been able to at this point go through approximately half of the stuff.
"It should also be noted that since the arrests, people have been showing up to the property late at night trying to access it and when confronted, they advised they had been contacted by the individuals arrested and advised of the situation. Detectives are still trying to process the scene and be able to identify stolen property. With the people showing up, detectives feel that the suspects in the case are trying to have items removed from the scene and if released the suspects will attempt to do the same," the affidavit says.
