CEDAR CITY — After reports of copper wire theft in the area, sheriff’s deputies arrested a man in a remote part of Iron County on Tuesday.
Three days after an individual reported the theft to Iron County Sheriff’s Office deputies, they called back stating they found tracks to a campsite.
A resulting search led to the arrest of Dustin Anthony Orton, 35, for warrants issued out of Las Vegas, Nevada, with felony theft charges to be added later.
According to the probable cause statement filed in court, the reporting party called in two thefts of copper wire from a locked trailer, approximately 25 miles west of Cedar City, on May 4. On Tuesday, the reporting party told the sheriff’s office they possibly had found the responsible party.
According to the probable cause statement, “Deputies met with the victim and attempted to make contact with the occupants of the campsite. While attempting to locate occupants at the campsite, deputies located the remnants of burnt copper wire consistent with burning the insulation off the wire to scrap.”
After applying a search warrant for the property, officers found and placed Orton under arrest in an area not far from the campsite for outstanding warrants, drugs and paraphernalia allegedly found during the ensuing search.
At the sheriff’s office, deputies then questioned the suspect about the copper wire remnants scattered about the campsite.
Orton told officers the copper wire valued at more than $20,000, had been gifted to him by a friend to sell.
Due to the fact a lock was cut on the trailer from which the wire was stolen and alleged evidence left at the scene of the crime, several charges were added upon Orton’s booking into the Iron County Correctional Facility.
“The shoes Dustin was wearing when he was taken into custody were compared to the shoe prints located on the scene during the incident occurring on May 4, 2024, and were an exact match,” the arresting deputy wrote. “The same footprints were observed going back and forth in between his campsite and the crime scene over what appears to be a multitude of times.”
Orton was booked into jail on felony counts of theft and property destruction, as well as multiple misdemeanor charges of burglary, possession of weapons by a restricted person, drug, paraphernalia and possession of burglary tools charges.
“Dustin had multiple knives on his person when he was taken into custody, one of which being approximately a 6-inch fixed blade with a gut hook,” the deputy stated.
Due to the National Crime Information Center warrant issued out of Las Vegas and the suspect not having an Iron County address to provide officers, Orton was booked into jail on a no-bail hold.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings.
Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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