ST. GEORGE — A theft call led to the discovery of a large-scale forgery operation authorities say was uncovered during a traffic stop on River Road in St. George last week – one that resulted in four suspects being booked into jail to face more than 100 charges between them.

The case was filed following an investigation that originated on Feb. 2 when officers responded to a beauty supply store on River Road in St. George on a report of theft shortly after 8:30 p.m., according to charging documents filed in support of the arrests.  

Officers learned that a woman reportedly had left the store without paying for merchandise along with a second woman who appeared to be with the suspect. Armed with the suspects’ descriptions, officers began circulating through the parking lot in search of the pair. 

During the canvass, one of the officers noticed a man standing in front of a gold BMW who was “acting suspicious,” the report states, and the officer’s suspicions were raised further when the man “hurriedly” got into the driver’s seat of the car as soon as the police unit passed by. The officer noticed there were two individuals in the backseat of the car as well.  

Minutes later, officers watched as a woman walking a dog got into the front passenger seat of the BMW, and she also matched the description of the suspect described by the beauty store employees, according to the report. The BMW with California plates pulled out of the parking lot, and minutes later, officers conducted a traffic stop on River Road for expired registration. 

The driver told police he was from New Jersey and provided an ID card that did not belong to him, and he was ultimately identified as 49-year-old David Krick Jr., a resident of California. The front seat passenger was later identified as Joy Leann Oyler, 37, out of Burleson Texas. 

The backseat passengers were identified as two Indiana residents — 34-year-old Jennifer Lee Yates, of Syracuse, and John Dean Reed, 36, of Akron.

While speaking to the driver, the officer noted, three of the occupants were “visibly shaking” and he could also see the “rapid rise and fall in their chest as they breathed,” with a fourth occupant who appeared lethargic and who also matched the description of the second female suspect as described by the beauty store employees.

When asked about the registration, the driver said he purchased the car for $300, adding he had not yet registered the car in his name. The report also states that when asked about the insurance, the suspect said he “assumed” the car still had insurance from the previous owner but was unable to provide any information on the previous owner. 

A K-9 was deployed to conduct a free-air sniff around the exterior of the vehicle and reportedly indicated the possible presence of narcotics. During a search of the car, officers reportedly recovered various clear baggies and containers with suspected methamphetamine and heroin inside, along with several syringes, tin foil, a scale and other drug paraphernalia.

Inside the center console, the report states, officers found a number of wallets that contained “a significant” number of suspected forged ID cards from various states, many with the same photograph that was on the fake ID  initially presented to officers by the driver. While the photo was the same on each of the cards, the identifying information was different on each. 

In all, officers recovered ID cards that appeared to be issued out of 11 states, according to the charging documents.  

Authorities also recovered eight bank cards that matched the names on the fake ID cards, and in the glove box, officers reportedly found several handwritten notes that appeared to be personal and banking information police say “could potentially be used to intentionally deprive the victim,” the officer wrote. 

Officers also found “a very large quantity” of casino playing cards issued out of a number of casinos throughout Nevada, and inside of the trunk, officers recovered several devices typically used to create fake ID cards, along with a specialized printer that contained a row of blank white cards ready for printing. 

The report also states that authorities also found a handheld device that turned out to be a $2,000 piece of equipment “used for making specialized barcodes for drivers license and debit cards,” the report said. 

Also recovered was a large plastic bag containing hundreds of blank plastic cards, as well as a number of computers, a device designed to affix the black magnetic strips to the cards, along with several more bank cards that appeared to be fake. 

With the search completed, the items recovered led officers to believe the suspects were involved in a “large-scale counterfeiting operation that was likely creating and depriving numerous victims.” 

During an interview with police, Oyler said that she just met the other three suspects a few hours prior to driving to St George, and they were giving her a ride to California but needed to go to Salt Lake City first. 

When asked about the items connected to the alleged counterfeiting operation, the suspect “quickly became defensive and denied any knowledge,” even though officers suspected that Oyler was aware of what everyone else was doing.” 

While questioning Krisk, the suspect started off by asking the officer “what deal can I make for him,” according to the report, the officer explained he did not make deals and only documents the information as provided by the suspect.  

That was when Krisk reportedly told the officer he “was about to make me famous with the information that he had to provide,” the officer wrote, the details of which could not be released due to the ongoing investigation. 

Officers found during a background check that Krisk had an active warrant for his arrest that was issued out of California on a pending car theft case that was extraditable from Utah. 

All four occupants were transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail facing a total of 117 charges between them.

Both Krisk and Oyler each face 22 second-degree felony counts of producing-transferring any false identifying document and one count each of possession of another’s identifying documents, criminal conspiracy, tampering with evidence, forgery and possession of paraphernalia.

Krisk also faces three additional misdemeanor charges including two counts of possession of a controlled substance and one count of providing false personal information with the intent to be another actual person.

Oyler faces an additional third-degree felony charge of transporting prohibited items into a correctional facility and four misdemeanor counts of possession of a controlled substance. She appeared in court on Monday in St. George, and is scheduled to be back in 5th District Court for a preliminary hearing on Feb. 14.

Krisk has yet to be formally charged in the case that is still under review by the Washington County Attorney’s Office.

Reed faces a total of 26 charges, including 21 second-degree felony counts of producing-transferring any false identifying document and two third-degree felony counts of possession of a controlled substance, along with three misdemeanor counts that include one count of possession of marijuana and two counts of possession of paraphernalia. He is scheduled to make an initial appearance on Thursday.

Yates faces s a total of 30 charges that include 26 second-degree felony counts of producing-transferring any false identifying document and four misdemeanor drug and paraphernalia charges. The defendant made an initial appearance in 5th District Court on Wednesday.

Krisk has yet to be formally charged in the case that is still under review by the Washington County Attorney’s Office.

Following the arrests, District Judge Jeffrey C. Wilcox signed four separate orders to hold each of the defendants in jail without bail, since the release of any inmate booked in Purgatory Correctional Facility facing a felony charge is not determined by the corrections staff, but is determined by the court. This transpires either during a hearing or with one of three orders that include an order setting bail, an order to hold without bail, or an order to release under conditions that must be signed by the judge.

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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