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Report: UHP nabs man suspected of stealing cash, dozens of lotto tickets

Posted at 3:20 PM, Feb 28, 2018
and last updated 2018-02-28 17:20:09-05

ST. GEORGE, Utah — Utah Highway Patrol troopers apprehended a man who admitted to stealing cash and lottery tickets from the Barstow, Calif. convenience store where he worked, St. George News reports.

A trooper stopped Antonio James Urtiaga, 19, near mile post 2 on Thursday after observing a car with dark window tint, the report states.

During the traffic stop, the trooper noticed empty beer cans in the back of the car, became suspicious of criminal activity and called for backup.

“When backup arrived, a UHP K-9 was deployed around the vehicle and gave a positive indication to the presence of contraband, giving authorities probable cause to search the vehicle,” the report said.

According to St. George News, Urtiaga allegedly told the trooper he had robbed a gas station in Barstow.

UHP officials contacted Barstow Police, the report said, and they learned $4,827 in cash and 61 lottery tickets worth $1,290 had been stolen.

“I mirandized Urtiaga and he stated that he works in the gas station and stole all the contraband before locking the store and fleeing the area,” the trooper stated, according to St. George News.

Urtiaga faces a second-degree felony charge of theft by receiving stolen property, a class B misdemeanor charge of possession of alcohol by a minor and two traffic infractions – one for obstructing windshield visibility and another for failure to register a vehicle.

Click here to read the full report from St. George News.