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- Dervis Sanchez-Morales was arrested and accused of obstructing a Springville attempted murder investigation.
- Police say Sanchez-Morales is withholding information about the victim's cellphone location and other info.
SPRINGVILLE — A Magna man was arrested Tuesday because police believe he is not telling the truth about what he knows about an attempted homicide in Springville.
Dervis Sanchez-Morales, 32, was booked into the Utah County Jail for investigation of obstruction of justice.
On Oct. 13, Springville police responded to 1327 W. 50 North where a 35-year-old man had been shot three times outside his residence, according to police. The victim was taken to a local hospital, but police said he was expected to survive.
Detectives investigating the case could not find the victim's cellphone inside or outside the home, according to a police booking affidavit. Sanchez-Morales, who police say was present during the shooting, allegedly said he did not know where the phone was.
"A search warrant for records of the victim's phone, including historical locations, was obtained. Through the results of that search warrant, detectives learned that the victim's phone location showed at the Springville Police Department at approximately 7:20 p.m. on Oct. 13. At that time, Dervis was at the Springville Police Department being interviewed by detectives," the affidavit states.
The records also showed that on Oct. 14, the phone was at Sanchez-Morales' home in Magna.
On Tuesday, police questioned Sanchez-Morales again, and he repeated that he did not have any information about the phone even when investigators informed him of the data they had collected.
"Through the entire interview, Dervis was not forthcoming with information, and when questioned about his current address, provided an incorrect address. It should also be noted, during the initial interview with Dervis, he told detectives that the victim in the shooting was from Colombia, which was later found to not be true. Dervis has shown a pattern of not telling detectives accurate information and has obstructed the course of this investigation," police noted after taking him into custody.
