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Amanda Butterfield reporting Investigators with the Salt Lake City Gang Project have been staking out a house in Kearns for about a month.
They suspected the man inside was involved with gangs, weapons, and drugs.
This morning they got their man.
The SWAT team arrived at about 4 a.m. Tuesday morning, and caught the suspect in the act.
26-year-old Eric Kenyon was cooking up a fresh batch of meth, when SWAT team members forced their way into the home near 5540 S. 5423 West in Kearns.
According to investigators, he was not alone: His stepmother and two stepsisters were also inside.
Lt. Del Craig, Salt Lake City Gang Project: “A mother and two children. Actually, an adult child, a 20-year-old and a 13-year-old child.”
The Division of Family Services is helping to determine if the stepmother and sisters knew what Kenyon was doing, and whether they knew Kenyon was a know gang member, and had weapons.
Investigators have been keeping a close eye on Kenyon for weeks. They had observed cars going in and out of the driveway at odd hours. Neighbors didn’t suspect a thing.
Lt. Del Craig, Salt Lake City Gang Project: “The neighbors I talked with had no idea. They were rather surprised, in fact.”
One resident says besides a little bit of vandalism, the area is a good place to raise a family. But this incident makes him nervous.
Jason, Neighbor: “Being that I have two kids, it’s kind of scary knowing that there is this element in the area.”
Kenyon has an criminal history, and will most likely be charged with running a clandestine lab, possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person, and child endangerment.
