Police arrested a male who had taken wire from the Uintah County landfill and sold it to a scrap yard
- Travis Uresk
- Nov 1, 2024
- 3 min read
By Travis Uresk
11/1/24
| Vernal, Ut. | October 21st, 2024 |
It was reported that 42-year-old James Alfred Gates had taken wire from the Uintah County landfill and sold it to a scrap yard. James and his girlfriend were in the area in a silver Jeep belonging to the female.
The police initially weren't able to locate the Jeep in the area but found a hole cut in the fence on the landfill property and tire marks that appeared to be from a mountain bike. Tracks led into the landfill, and a set left the landfill.
Deputy Russell contacted Agent Peterson, who stated that James was on AP&P and Drug Court, but James was to have a warrant out for his arrest from drug court.
The girlfriend's Jeep was located near 100 West Main Street and had a significant amount of fresh mud on it. As Deputy Russell passed by, he saw a female he believed to be Lames' girlfriend in the driver's seat.
The deputy turned and followed the Jeep as it turned South onto Vernal Ave. As the vehicle stopped at the intersection of 500 South Vernal Ave, the deputy looked closer at the mud on the outside of the Jeep, which looked like it had been out toward the dump. Through the back window, Deputy Russell saw a set of handlebars.
Due to the theft report and the description of the vehicle, Deputy Russell decided to stop the Jeep on reasonable suspicion. He had reason to believe the Jeep he located was involved in his trespassing incident, James' girlfriend was driving the Jeep, James was in the passenger seat, and the bike that was used to steal the wire might have been in the back of the Jeep.
As the deputy approached the driver's side of the vehicle, he observed a peddle bike in the back with tires heavily covered in fresh mud. A few coils of wire, also covered in mud, were on top of the bike.
Deputy Russell explained to James that he was investigating the possibility of stolen wire from the Uintah County Landfill. The deputy asked James about the bike in the back of the Jeep, and he said they had been out near the landfill earlier in the day, but he didn't steal any wire.
The deputy asked the female (unknown) to exit the Jeep to speak with him. They walked to the back of the vehicle and asked her questions about the mud, how the wire got inside the Jeep, and if she had taken James to the area near the landfill to get the wire. The female admitted that she had.
Deputy Russell asked the girlfriend if James had used the bike to go onto the landfill property to steal the copper wire. She gave a blank stare before answering yes.
James was then asked to exit the vehicle to speak with the deputy and was asked again about the wire. He stated that he used the bike to go onto the Landfill property, but only part of the wire was on their property.
Deputy Russell explained to James that going onto the landfill property is criminal trespassing and taking the wire is theft. He was also told he would be arrested for the charges.
James was asked if he was still on with AP&P, and he said he was and also on drug court. Agent Barnes, James' probation agent, was going to be placing James on a 72-hour hold as well as the new charges.
Also, during this investigation, Deputy Russell was informed that James and his girlfriend, who was driving at the time of the stop, still had an active protective order. When asked about the protective order, James stated that his girlfriend was going to drop it.
Deputy Russell told James that he was not allowed to be around her until the judge dropped the order.
James was taken to Uintah County Jail and booked on charges of criminal trespassing, protective order violation, and a 72-hour hold from AP&P.
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