St. George man with violent criminal history returns to prison after alleged escape – St George News

ST. GEORGE – Following a three-week multi-agency search, a man is back in prison after escaping, the day after his prison sentence was suspended.

The suspect in this case, Gavin David Williams, 20, of St. George, was transported from the Salt Lake County Jail to Washington County by the U.S. Marshals Service and booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility on June 5 , where he remains without bail.

Williams was arrested following a reported escape on May 10.

A day earlier, Williams appeared in 5th District Court for sentencing on felony charges of first-degree aggravated robbery and second-degree destruction of property. The two prison sentences of five to life and one to 15 years were suspended in this case. Williams was instead sentenced to serve a year in prison, which he had already served. Additionally, he was placed on probation for three years and ordered to complete an intensive residential program at Other Side Academy.

The next day, he was released from jail and taken into custody by academy staff for transport to the academy near Salt Lake City. But while en route, Williams opened the van door and fled through downtown Salt Lake City, according to court documents.

After staff failed to find Williams, the Adult Probation and Parole Department was notified of the situation. However, because the sentencing judgment was not filed until May 12, two days after the escape, Williams was technically not yet on probation. As a result, the Washington County District Attorney's Office filed a warrant for his arrest.

While Williams was still at large and his whereabouts unknown, the U.S. Marshals Service was contacted to assist in the search, which continued for the next three weeks.

While the search for Williams was underway, officers received information on May 17 that Williams was headed to St. George and planned to arrive later that same day.

Officers were prepared for his expected arrival. But after the arrival time passed with no sign of him, authorities said they suspected Williams had been warned of the heavy police presence.

Those suspicions were later confirmed after investigators obtained evidence showing one of Williams' friends, Travis Alan Dickey, 30, allegedly tipped Williams off.

The search ended May 31, when Williams was arrested and jailed in Salt Lake County, where he remained until returning to Washington County last week.

On June 3, following Williams' arrest in Salt Lake County, an arrest warrant was issued and Dickey was arrested at his home in Hurricane. He was later incarcerated in Washington County for obstruction of justice. The case remains under review and charging with the Washington County Prosecutor's Office.

The multi-agency search for Williams included not only the U.S. Marshals Service, but also the Violent Fugitive Apprehension Team and several agencies in Washington and Salt Lake counties.

These efforts were in part due to Williams' violent criminal history, which includes several separate cases.

Turkey agricultural road incident

On February 24, 2023, officers were dispatched to a reported theft in a remote area near Turkey Farm Road in Washington County. According to the police report, a teenager, who was sitting around a campfire with friends, saw what appeared to be a laser beam shining in his direction. It was later determined that the laser was attached to a gun owned by Williams, who then allegedly robbed the teen.

While heading toward Turkey Farm Road, officers encountered Williams' vehicle heading in the opposite direction. When Williams attempted to overtake oncoming patrol vehicles, he lost control of the car and crashed. During a scuffle with police, Williams allegedly kicked one of the deputies in the face. Williams was arrested and transported to jail and was later charged with aggravated robbery and assault by a prisoner, as well as several misdemeanors.

Less than 30 hours earlier, Williams was in court in St. George for a case filed following two incidents reported on the night of September 27, 2022. The first involved him punching a man in the face after a rodeo. In the second case, Williams allegedly forced a motorist off the road and then punched him in the face several times. He was arrested for aggravated assault.

After pleading guilty to three aggravated assault charges, one of which was reduced to a misdemeanor, he was sentenced to probation on both counts and ordered to take an anger management class.

Shooting leads to attempted murder charges

Williams was also charged in a case reported Jan. 23, 2023, in Bloomington Hills after police received a report of shots fired in the area of ​​Red Tree Circle, as previously reported by St. George News.

When officers arrived, they found bullet casings and a vehicle with nearly a dozen bullet holes, but the suspects were nowhere to be found. They then learned that an individual had arrived at to the St. George Regional Hospital emergency room with six gunshot wounds to his right arm.

Investigators then identified eight suspects, including Williams. He was accused of planning the incident, providing the weapons and being one of the shooters.

At the time he was identified as a suspect in the case, Williams was already in custody on charges related to the alleged robbery that occurred in February near Turkey Farm Road.

For the shooting case, he was charged with first-degree aggravated robbery and attempted murder, as well as criminal conspiracy and weapons charges.

That case was scheduled for a four-day jury trial on May 9, when Williams pleaded guilty to charges of aggravated robbery and second-degree criminal mischief, while the attempted murder charge was been rejected.

All of this led to him fleeing the van on May 10 and the subsequent search.

Williams remains in prison.

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other stakeholders and may not contain the complete findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law or otherwise determined by a finder of fact.

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