IRON COUNTY, Utah, April 15, 2018 (Gephardt Daily) — A 49-year-old Cedar City man was booked into jail on suspicion of three counts of second-degree felony burglary and three counts of class B misdemeanor theft following a citizen’s arrest Saturday.
Michael Lamoyne Cross was also charged with first-degree felony aggravated arson later in the day, according to a news release from Iron County Sheriff’s Office.
According to the news release, deputies responded to a burglary in progress at a residence near Tipple Road in Shurtz Canyon, two miles south of Cedar City, at approximately 11:35 a.m.
The residents of the house found a man, later identified as Cross, in their backyard allegedly removing items from a shed. The residents performed a citizen’s arrest. Cross was taken into custody without incident and was turned over to deputies.
About half an hour later, a 911 call was made reporting a structure fire across the street from where the original incident took place.
Cedar City fire crews arrived to find the house completely engulfed in flames. No one was home at the time, the news release said.
After interviewing Cross, officials believe the two incidents may be related, though the circumstances surrounding both events are under investigation.
Gephardt Daily will have more on this developing story as information is made available.
