- Garret Jay Boyd, 34, was arrested for allegedly setting fires in Big Cottonwood.
- Boyd claimed 'spirits' guided him to start fires; damage exceeded $5,000.
- Boyd, homeless with a criminal history, was apprehended after a helicopter search.
BIG COTTONWOOD CANYON — A 34-year-old man who police believe started several small fires in Big Cottonwood Canyon was arrested on Tuesday.
Garret Jay Boyd was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail for investigation of arson and failing to stop for police.
The investigation began about 2:30 p.m. when multiple witnesses called the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office to report that a person was intentionally setting fires. Sheriff Rosie Rivera described the fires as small and said all of them smoldered out.
Rivera said crews from the Unified Fire Authority were on standby at the scene but did not have to put out any fires. She noted, however, that investigators believe the fires were set intentionally.
"A deputy advised they were able to see a male wearing a white long-sleeve shirt and black pants walking around an actively burning fire. The fire was approximately five feet wide and about that tall. UFA and the deputy maintained a visual of the person with binoculars. The deputy observed the male bending over in another location he walked to and a fire was started there," a police booking affidavit states.
A National Guard helicopter already in the area helped deputies locate the suspect in the Mount Olympus Wilderness, the sheriff said and kept an eye on Boyd until a Utah Department of Public Safety helicopter could drop off officers in that area.
Officers in the state helicopter "used a loudspeaker telling him to stop moving and stay where he was. Boyd continued up the mountain into very steep terrain. DPS was able to hoist law enforcement officers onto the mountain near Boyd and Boyd was taken into custody," according to the affidavit.
"This was a dangerous and rapidly evolving situation in difficult terrain," the sheriff said.
Boyd was questioned by police after being taken into custody. He "admitted to smoking methamphetamine the evening prior" and drinking that morning, the affidavit states.
"(He) advised he was told by his 'ancestors' and the 'spirits' to go up the canyons. He advised he walked up Big Cottonwood Canyon and followed the 'spirits' who told him to go up the mountain. Once on the mountain, Boyd advised the land is sacred and he was going to burn wood. He intentionally started 'three' fires with no means to extinguish the fires. He advised he would let the fires 'burn out.' He advised he could not hear announcements from the DPS helicopter even though deputies were able to hear the announcements at the base of the mountain," according to the affidavit.
Investigators estimated the damage allegedly caused by Boyd was more than $5,000.
"Boyd is homeless and is not from Utah. He has previous history of disarming a police officer and current warrants for assaulting a police officer, (failing) to stop at the command of a law enforcement officer and theft. He has no family in Utah," deputies noted in their affidavit.
