GUNNISON — Shelle’s Drive-In had to close its doors for a dayon Monday, June 6 after a break in just before 5 a.m.
Video surveillance showed someone, later identified as Kevin Radmall of Salt Lake City, breaking out the back door window, according to a probable cause statement from Gunnison Valley Police.
The man is seen on camera going through the building, where he allegedly took approximately $800 in cash and coins, the cash register and other property.
License plate reader technology enabled police to identify the owner of the vehicle. The man appeared on video getting into the passenger side of the vehicle before it left Shelle’s, suggesting he had an accomplice.
Based on contact with the registered owner, police tracked Radmall to 90 E. 600 South in Salt Lake City. Salt Lake City police took him and a woman, Shaylee Finn, into custody.
After being arrested, Radmall told Gunnison Police Chief Seth Hendrickson that he had been at Shelle’s in Gunnison. He said Finn was his girlfriend and she had been driving the vehicle in Gunnison. Property identified as stolen from the drivein was located in Finn’s purse and among her belongings.
Both Radmall and Finn were booked into the Sanpete County Jail less than 24 hours after the burglary took place.
In a comment on Shelle’s Facebook page, Chief Hendrickson said Radmull and Finn are good people to get off the street and into jail where they can hopefully work on some issues currently influencing their life choices in a negative way.
He credited the quick arrests to the help from all his “buddies” at the Gunnison Valley Police Department.
Drive-In owner, Shelle Christiansen, said she was amazed with Chief Hendrickson and how fast it all happened.
“He got to the drive-in at about 6:20 a.m. and sent me a text at 11:20 p.m. saying he had them in custody,” she said.
She said that she doesn’t think there is anything that can be done to stop someone from breaking into a home or business. She is thankful that she had the cameras, or the police wouldn’t have had anything to go off.
When the suspect was inside the drive in his face was covered, but because of Hendrickson’s hard work, he was able to go to Maverick and match clothing and shoes to their video surveillance to make a positive identification.
A couple of days later the defendants both made their initial appearances in 6th District Court in Manti, where they were assigned public defenders.
Kevin Daniels, Sanpete County attorney, said he had no position on Finn’s release from custody. “She has a much lower criminal history, and she was only acting as the alleged getaway driver,” he said.
Judge Marvin Bagley ordered Finn to be released with no bail, but told her she was “on a short leash.” She was placed under the supervision of Deputy Jeff Greenwell, Sanpete County pretrial probation officer, and ordered to have no contact with the defendant. She is scheduled to return to court on June 22.
Radmall was being held in jail on $8,930 in bail. Daniels asked that the bail amount remain in place. The county attorney said Radmall had a long criminal history, including fraud, and came to Sanpete County specifically to commit the burglary.
“This is someone who is a threat to the community and a danger to run,” he said. “I’m not asking that in be held with no bail, but I think that bail is appropriate. “I have a large concern about him being released, especially with around 32 priors already on his record,” Daniels said. “He has several active cases.”
Judge Bagley said that Radmall came to Sanpete County, broke into Shelle’s Drive-In and stole money.
“If that doesn’t define a danger to the community then I don’t know what does,” he said.
The judge ordered the bail amount to stay the same, $8,930, and said if Radmall does bail out, he should be released to Deputy Greenwell with maximum conditions.
He is also scheduled to return to court June 22.
