Crime briefs

Woman arrested in toddler's death

CENTERFIELD, Sanpete County — Police in central Utah have arrested a 23-year-old woman accused of killing her toddler

Centerfield police said in a statement Friday they were called to Gunnison Valley Hospital about a 2 1/2-year-old girl who was brought by ambulance to the facility. She was pronounced dead a short time later.

"Medical staff alerted authorities to what they believed were inconsistencies in statements made to the hospital staff by caregivers," police said in their statement. "The child's mother told medical staff that the child had drowned in a wading pool in the family's yard but medical staff felt there were few if any signs that the child had been involved in (a) water accident."

The little girl's body has been sent to the state medical examiner to determine an exact cause of death. Centerfield police did not immediately release the victim's name.

Police said the girl's mother, Ariel Hampton, was booked into the Sanpete County Jail, but they declined to release further details, including the exact nature of the anticipated charges or whether bail had been set for Hampton.

"We are talking with other individuals involved in the case but have not identified any additional persons of interest in the case," police said. "We are, however, attempting to piece together the chain of events that led to the tragic death of this young girl."

— Ben Winslow

2 men charged with taking silver bars

Two men accused of breaking into their aunt's house and stealing bars of silver bullion have been charged with two second-degree felony counts of burglary and theft.

Salt Lake County sheriff's officers confiscated 59 100-ounce bars of pure silver from Scott Brown, 19, and David Brown, 18, in February, after a neighbor professed to have witnessed the young men carrying bags of the precious metal out of their aunt's home in Millcreek, according to charges filed in 3rd District Court.

The neighbor wrote down the car's license-plate number as they left. Several bars were found beneath the car's left front seat, and others were located at a cache in an open field, the court document states.

— Jacob Hancock

Man arrested in theft from employer

A man Salt Lake police say had been stealing construction equipment from his employer for months was arrested Tuesday.