Numerous bank cards, fake IDs found following fiery crash

ST. GEORGE — The second of two men allegedly involved in a fraud scheme in southern Utah, whose vehicle was involved in a fiery crash while fleeing from police, has been booked into jail.

Mitchell Steven Inclan, 33, was arrested by St. George police for investigation of 57 crimes and charged on Thursday in 5th District Court with 35 crimes including: mail theft, theft of a vehicle and theft of a gun, second-degree felonies; unlawfully possessing someone else's identification, 20 counts of unlawful possession of a bank card, failing to stop for police and 6 counts of forgery, third-degree felonies; reckless driving and two counts of unlawful use of a financial card, class B misdemeanors; and never obtained a driver's license, an infraction.

Stephen Michael Laughlin, 42, was previously arrested and charged on Monday in 5th District Court with 41 crimes, including: mail theft, theft of a vehicle and theft of a gun, second-degree felonies; unlawfully possessing someone else's identification, 20 counts of unlawful possession of a bank card, failing to stop for police and 12 counts of forgery, third-degree felonies; reckless driving and two counts of unlawful use of a financial card, class B misdemeanors; and a learner's permit violation, an infraction.

Both men are believed to be originally from the Las Vegas area.

According to a police booking affidavit, the investigation began Friday when police were called to Red Cliffs Mall in St. George.

"A victim contacted St. George police and stated his and his wife's credit cards had been used at multiple stores at the mall. Officers made contact at the mall and discovered that two males had entered Buckle and Al's Sporting Goods, they both made purchases over $300 utilizing a credit card that belonged to the victim who had called it in," the affidavit states.

Investigators watched the two men on surveillance video get into a BMW 530 — which was determined to be stolen — and then used license plate reader machines to track the vehicle, according to the affidavit. The vehicle was located at another store.

But as officers converged on the vehicle and ordered the men out of the BMW, the driver, Laughlin, backed up and sped out of the parking lot, the affidavit states.

Officers did not chase the vehicle "due to its reckless driving." At one point, the BMW stopped in a parking lot and the driver and passenger switched seats. Not long after, the BMW crashed into a rock while taking an I-15 on-ramp, according to the affidavit.

"One suspect was immediately taken into custody and the second suspect was running southwest into the brush just north of the Southgate Golf Course. The vehicle eventually caught on fire and the entire front was engulfed in flames. The male taken into custody was identified as Stephen Michael Laughlin," the affidavit states. "The fire department put the vehicle out and detectives from the St. George Police Department processed the vehicle for evidence. Inside the vehicle they located multiple items consistent with fraud document activity. There were multiple ID cards from different states, bearing different names and personal identifying information, but bearing the two suspect's photos. There were 6 ID cards with Mitchell Inclan's photo but with different identities. There were 10 ID cards with Stephen Laughlin's photo, but with different identities. When Stephen was taken into custody, he had an additional two identities in his pocket bearing different names, yet containing his photo."

Detectives also found stolen bags of mail which included checks and personal identifying information of about a dozen people, the affidavit states. In addition, investigators found 20 stolen bank cards and a printer and four laptops allegedly used to print fake ID's, according to police.

A gun was also located in the vehicle. Both the gun and car were reported stolen out of Las Vegas.

"Approximately four hours after the suspect had fled into the brush on Southgate Golf Course, he was discovered by SWAT officers. He was unconscious and laying face up in the water underneath a pile of brush," according to the affidavit.

The man, Inclan, was taken to a local hospital for treatment. He was booked into jail after being released.

Investigators later learned that a second vehicle had been dropped off for repair in St. George by Inclan on the previous Friday. A search warrant was obtained for that car and additional stolen bank cards, passports, fake ID's and titles belonging to other vehicles were seized, the affidavit states.

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