MURRAY — A criminal charge was filed Monday against a transient accused of digging a giant hole near an I-15 overpass, apparently because he needed a place to stay.
Troy Coyn Jones, 45, is charged in 3rd District Court with criminal mischief impairing critical infrastructure, a second-degree felony.
On Sept. 9, Murray police were called to an area near 423 W. Winchester Street after UTA employees discovered a man-made tunnel under I-15 on the south end of the valley.
"(An officer) yelled in the hole and a male later identified as Troy Coyn Jones came out of the tunnel. The tunnel was near the pillar that supports I-15 northbound. Jones stated that he had slept in the weeds and then decided to dig the hole. The hole was 6 feet tall," according to charging documents.
A police booking affidavit further described "the cave" as being on UDOT property in a fenced-off area with "no trespassing" signs.
Police spoke with a bridge inspector for the state, who said that "with the hole being so close to the pillar, it will need to be filled with concrete and estimated the cost to be $10,000" plus an additional $2,000 for labor, the charges state.
Prosecutors have requested that Jones be held in the Salt Lake County Jail without the possibility of posting bail pending trial.
