FARMINGTON, Utah, May 23, 2016 (Gephardt Daily) — Flint Harrison and son Dereck James Harrison — charged in a violent Centerville kidnapping incident and considered “persons of interest” in the murder of a Utah Transit Authority worker — made their first court appearance Monday.
The father and son appeared in 2nd District Court Monday afternoon to face aggravated kidnapping and aggravated assault charges in the Utah kidnapping case. Judge Michael Allphin denied bail for both men.
No solid evidence has been revealed that connects the Harrisons to the killing of a Utah man who disappeared from Salt Lake City the same day they fled the area. The victim was later found dead in Wyoming, near where the Harrisons were arrested as fugitives.
But Centerville Police Chief Paul Child is pretty sure there’s a link between the cases.
“It would be an amazing coincidence if it were not,” Child said, speaking to the media Thursday afternoon just after the Harrisons, extradited from Wyoming in CPD custody, arrived in separate cars to Centerville.
In the Utah case, Centerville Police say the Harrisons lured a woman and her four teenage daughters to a residence by telling them they were invited to a barbecue. The five were taken to the house’s basement and tied with plastic cuff restraints.
While one or both of the suspects were beating the mother with a baseball bat, the daughters escaped, followed by their mother. A daughter called 911, and the suspects fled.
“On May 10 we got a frantic 911 call,” Child said. “Since then, resources and hours of investigation work have been given to his and related cases.”
Utah Transit Authority Kay Porter Ricks disappeared from his maintenance route within the next few hours, as did the UTA truck he was driving.
The body of Ricks, 63, was found Thursday in a rural area about 16 miles south of Kemmerer, Wyoming.
Flint Harrison turned himself in to Sublette County, Wyoming, Sheriff’s Department officials on Saturday, and provided information that led officials to son Dereck, who goes by “D.J.”
The UTA truck Ricks had been driving, caught on surveillance at a Wyoming Chevron station, was found Thursday during an aerial search of the Half Moon Lake area.
Centerville Police Lt. Von Steenblik told reporters Thursday that although a murder investigation may seem more serious than a kidnapping case, authorities agreed it made sense for Centerville to extradite the Harrisons and book them into the Davis County Jail.
CPD warrants had been issued for the two men, and it would save investigators in the homicide case from rushing to file charges, and allow them to focus on evidence collection.
