ST. GEORGE — A Hurricane business owner has been arrested for arson with intent to defraud an insurer after reportedly burning a company boat worth $100,000.
At approximately 12:19 a.m. on Nov. 6, 2022, Washington County Sheriff’s deputies responded to a boat and trailer fire in a remote area in Warner Valley, south of Hurricane City, according to a press release issued by the Sheriff’s Office. A witness camping in the area had called 911 to report the fire and told deputies they saw a Ford truck pulling a boat about an hour before they called 911.
Around 15 to 20 minutes later, the same truck was seen going in the opposite direction without the boat, and then they saw the fire in the distance, the news release states.
Deputies learned the boat and trailer were registered to a Hurricane company called Utah Epic Rentals LLC owned by 49-year-old Joseph Brad Arave. The boat had an estimated value of $100,000 dollars. When deputies contacted Arave to inquire about the boat, Arave reportedly said he didn’t know it was missing and that someone must have stolen it.
Deputies say they later learned Arave was pulled over in a rental truck and cited for speeding by a Hurricane Police Officer shortly after the fire was reported. The Hurricane officer was unaware that the truck was involved in the fire at that time, but “noticed Arave was very nervous during the stop,” the release states.
Detectives took over the case and say that after the fire, Arave submitted an insurance claim to his insurance company for around $100,000 for the boat and trailer. Detectives later located the rental truck Arave was driving when he was stopped by Hurricane Police. Detectives then secured a search warrant and used forensic computer software to retrieve vehicle computer data from the truck containing dates, times and GPS locations during the time Arave rented the truck.
The tracking logs reportedly showed that the truck drove out to the location of the fire, stopped for several minutes, then left the area without stopping until Hurricane Police made the traffic stop. Detectives say they tried to set up an interview with Arave but he declined and secured an attorney.
On Thursday, detectives conducted surveillance on Arave’s residence and saw him leaving in his truck. After conducting a traffic stop, deputies arrested Arave without incident. During a search of his truck, deputies located a substance that tested positive for methamphetamine, the news release states.
Detectives also learned that Arave fled California to avoid prosecution for fraud and currently has a California felony warrant, but it’s non-extraditable.
Arave was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility for the following charges: arson with intent to defraud an insurer, a second-degree felony; possession of a controlled substance, a class A misdemeanor, providing false information to law enforcement officers, a class B misdemeanor; and writing a false statement, a class B misdemeanor.