ST. GEORGE — Following a multi-agency search that went on for three weeks, one man is back in jail after he reportedly escaped custody the day after his prison terms were suspended.
The suspect in the case, Gavin David Williams, 20, of St. George, was transported from Salt Lake County Jail to Washington County by the U.S. Marshals Service and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on June 5, where he remains without bail.
Williams was arrested following a reported escape on May 10.
One day earlier, Williams appeared in 5th District Court for sentencing on charges of first-degree felony aggravated robbery and second-degree felony destruction of property. The two prison terms of five to life and one to 15 years were suspended in the case. Williams was instead ordered to serve one year in jail, which he had already completed. In addition, he was placed on three years of probation and ordered to complete an intensive residential program at the Other Side Academy.
The following day, he was released from jail and taken into custody by the academy staff to be transported to the academy located near Salt Lake City. But while en route, Williams opened the van door and fled through downtown Salt Lake City, according to court documents.
After staff failed to find Williams, Adult Probation and Parole was notified of the situation. However, due to the sentencing judgment not being filed until May 12, two days after the escape, Williams was not technically on probation yet. As a result, the Washington County Attorney’s Office filed a warrant for his arrest.
With Williams still at large and his whereabouts unknown, the U.S. Marshals Service was contacted to assist in the search, which continued for the next three weeks.
While the search for Williams was underway, agents received information on May 17 that Williams was heading to St. George and expected to arrive later that same day.
Officers were staged for his expected arrival. But after the arrival time came and went with no sign of him, authorities said they suspected Williams was possibly warned about the heavy police presence.
Those suspicions were later confirmed after investigators obtained evidence that showed one of the Williams’ friends, 30-year-old Travis Alan Dickey, allegedly tipped Williams off.
The search ended May 31, when Williams was arrested and booked into jail in Salt Lake County, where he remained until his return to Washington County last week.
On June 3, following Williams’ arrest in Salt Lake County, a warrant was issued, and Dickey was arrested at his home in Hurricane. He was then booked into jail in Washington County facing a felony obstruction of justice charge. The case is still under review for charges with the Washington County Attorney’s Office.
The multi-agency search for Williams included not only the U.S. Marshals Service but also the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Team and multiple agencies throughout Washington and Salt Lake counties.
Those efforts were, in part, due to Williams’ violent criminal history, which includes several separate cases.
Turkey Farm Road incident
On Feb. 24, 2023, officers were dispatched to a robbery reported in a remote area off Turkey Farm Road in Washington County. According to the police report, a teenager, who had been sitting around a campfire with friends, saw what appeared to be a laser beam shining in his direction. The laser was later determined to be attached to a firearm held by Williams, who then reportedly robbed the teen.
While en route to Turkey Farm Road, officers encountered Williams’ vehicle heading in the opposite direction. When Williams attempted to pass the oncoming patrol vehicles, he lost control of the car and crashed. During a scuffle with police, Williams reportedly kicked one of the deputies in the face. Williams was arrested and transported to jail and was later charged with aggravated robbery and assault by a prisoner, as well as several misdemeanors.
Less than 30 hours earlier, Williams was in court in St. George on a case filed following two incidents reported on the night of Sept. 27, 2022. The first involved him reportedly punching a man in the face after a rodeo. In the second case, Williams allegedly forced a motorist off of the road and then punched him in the face multiple times. He was arrested on aggravated assault charges.
After pleading guilty to three aggravated assault charges, one of which was reduced to a misdemeanor, he was sentenced to probation on both cases and ordered to complete an anger management class.
Shooting leads to attempted murder charges
Williams was also charged in a case reported Jan. 23, 2023, in Bloomington Hills after police received a report of gunshots in the area of Red Tree Circle, as previously reported by St. George News.
When officers arrived, they found bullet casings and a vehicle with nearly a dozen bullet strikes, but the suspects were nowhere to be seen. They then learned that an individual had arrived at the emergency room of St. George Regional Hospital with six gunshot wounds to his right arm.
Investigators later identified eight suspects, one of whom was Williams. He was accused of planning the incident, providing the weapons and being one of the shooters.
By the time he was identified as a suspect in this case, Williams was already in custody on charges related to the alleged robbery in February that occurred near Turkey Farm Road.
For the shooting case, he was charged with first-degree felony aggravated robbery and attempted murder, as well as criminal conspiracy and felony weapons charges.
This case was slated for a four-day jury trial on May 9, which is when Williams pleaded guilty to the aggravated robbery and second-degree felony criminal mischief charges, while the attempted murder charge was dismissed.
All of which led to him fleeing the van on May 10 and the search that ensued.
Williams remains in jail.
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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