CEDAR CITY — One of two men accused of burglarizing multiple businesses in Southern Utah last summer is now behind bars in Cedar City.
Surveillance image of a burglary suspect at Foster’s Market, Enoch, Utah, July 20, 2023 | Image courtesy of Enoch Police, St. George News / Cedar City News
Dache Kelly, Jr., 23, was booked into Iron County Jail on Tuesday afternoon, a few hours after making his initial court appearance on multiple felony burglary and theft charges.
According to charging documents filed in 5th District Court, Kelly and Lehman Frank Mitchell, 43, are accused of breaking into four Iron County businesses in the early morning hours of July 20, 2023. The affected businesses were identified as three Cedar City restaurants — Denny’s, Frijoles and Frescas and Arctic Circle — along with Foster’s Market in Enoch.
The affidavits state that the two men are related, with Mitchell being Kelly’s uncle, and are reportedly from Southern California.
As previously reported, surveillance images from at least two of the locations showed two men breaking into the store and removing its safe from the premises.
According to the charging documents, Mitchell and Kelly are also suspected of burglarizing multiple St. George area businesses the following night (July 21), including a Texaco convenience store, Key Man locksmith shop and Pier 49 pizza restaurant.
Additionally, police in Mesquite, Nevada reported that multiple business burglaries had taken place that same evening, with the suspects’ clothing and vehicle matching that of the alleged St. George burglars.
Mitchell and Kelly are also accused of carrying out multiple burglaries in St. George the preceding month (on June 8), with the affected businesses being identified as El Patron Mexican Food, Rusty Crab Daddy, Zeppe’s Italian Ice and Green Valley Market.
Surveillance image of a burglary suspect at Denny’s in Cedar City, Utah, July 20, 2023 | Image courtesy of Cedar City Police, St. George News / Cedar City News
According to the probable cause statements, investigators were able to identify and track down the two men via a combination of investigative methods, including social media posts of the suspects wearing distinctive clothing items that matched those seen on surveillance footage.
Additionally, traffic cameras equipped with automated license plate readers indicated that a car registered to Mitchell traveled from Las Vegas to Salt Lake City along Interstate 15 on July 19 and returned to Vegas the morning of July 21, matching the time frame of two series of burglaries in question.
Mitchell, who already had felony warrants out for his arrest for the Washington County cases, had an arrest warrant issued out of Iron County on Dec. 11. He remains at large as of Jan. 4.
As for their Iron County charges, Kelly and Mitchell are each facing four counts of burglary, a third-degree felony; and one count of theft between $1,500 and $4,999, also a third-degree felony.
In court in Cedar City on Tuesday, 5th District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen appointed public defender Franklin Katschke to be Kelly’s counsel and ordered that Kelly be placed into custody under a no-bail hold. Kelly’s next scheduled court appearance is a waiver and detention review hearing on Jan. 9.
This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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