Utah County man reports on friends, gets arrested as well

PROVO — A man who called police to report that his friends wanted him to pass stolen checks was arrested along with them when police learned he was driving a stolen car.

The man originally called police to report that he was being threatened with a pistol whipping if he didn't use checks that his friend stole from cars and businesses, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in 4th District Court.

A 33-year-old Pleasant Grove woman had just bailed the man out of jail on his promise to pay her back, said American Fork Police Sgt. Shauna Greening.

The man then took a stolen car to try to get money, Greening said. When he couldn't, the woman and another friend allegedly threatened the man, which prompted the call to police.

He also told police about items in his friend's home, including drugs and stolen firearms.

While executing a search warrant at the home, police found stolen checks, stolen vehicle titles, counterfeit checks and items used to make counterfeit checks, according to the affidavit.

American Fork police also found three guns — a 12-gauge shotgun, a 20-gauge shotgun and a .22 rifle — all had been stolen from a home in Pleasant Grove, according to the affidavit.

Along with drugs, a drug scale, a pipe and several boxes of allegedly stolen cuff links, the woman also had several checks, checkbooks and fake checks in the home as well, according to the affidavit.

The woman was booked into the Utah County Jail on $25,000 cash bail for investigation of possession of a stolen firearm, possession of methamphetamine, possession of stolen property, possession of drug paraphernalia, possession of a forged writing device.

The man was booked into jail for investigation of possession of a stolen vehicle on $7,500 cash-only bail but has since bailed out.