Search for one person yields three arrests in Helper
By MICHAEL OVERSON
Sun Advocate reporter
On Jan. 19, Helper Police responded to an assist call from Adult Probation and Parole. AP&P had received a tip that a fugitive named Casey Murphy was possibly hiding in a Helper residence. Murphy was currently on parole and had a board of pardon's warrant out for his arrest.
According to the police report, once officers were on the scene, they approached the home. Agent Jeff Wood saw two people flee into another room. The officers then surrounded the home. Contact was attempted to be made with those inside the residence. No one inside responded to the officers' attempts. Helper Police Chief Trent Anderson contacted the home owner, Amber Anderson, via cell phone, according to the report. Anderson was in Price at the time and returned to the residence a few minutes later.
Once on the scene, Anderson reportedly gave consent for the search of her home. Police who entered the home found no one upstairs. The officers then searched the basement and Wood discovered Murphy trying to conceal himself in a small crawlspace. According to the report, Murphy was extricated from his hiding place and placed in handcuffs.
Agent Wood then discovered Tawni Smith hiding in another crawlspace and removed her as well. A check through dispatch showed that Smith also had an active warrant out for her arrest. She was handcuffed. Both Murphy and Smith were secured in patrol cars outside.
During a further search of the house by Agents Wood and Cletis Steele, it was discovered that, in Anderson's room, there was reportedly a meth pipe with residue and a small baggie containing what appeared to be meth residue. They also found what appeared to be a crack pipe, with residue as well. Under her bed, they found a locked safe. Anderson gave officers the combination. Inside the safe, there were several baggies with suspected meth residue as well as a Crown Royal bag containing what appeared to be marijuana residue.
When officers asked Murphy what his current address was, he stated Anderson's address. This was important, due to the fact that he is a registered sex offender and had failed to register with the offender registry. According to the report, Anderson reportedly had knowledge that AP&P was seeking to arrest Murphy and she was concealing him.
All three suspects were arrested and booked on various charges.
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