1 arrested on suspicion of possession of $100K of meth


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WASHINGTON CITY — A man was arrested Sunday after a K-9 discovered two-and-a-half pounds of methamphetamine in a storage unit, officials said.

Police officers found the man sleeping in his vehicle near a storage unit as they were patrolling businesses near 500 W Telegraph Street at about 3:30 p.m., Ed Kantor with the Washington City Police Department said in a news release.

The officers were responding to the area after receiving several calls regarding suspicious activity and vehicles in the area, Jim Keith, police chief with the Washington City Police Department told KSL.

After an initial investigation of the situation, police had reason to believe there was illegal drug activity taking place, so they requested a K-9 unit to assist them, Kantor said.

The K-9, Hunter, indicated on both the car and the storage unit, Keith said.

Police officers obtained a search warrant and found an estimated street value of more than $100,000 of methamphetamine in the storage unit. They also found drug paraphernalia and other evidence in their search, Kantor said.

"That's a significant amount of drugs that have not hit the street yet," Keith told KSL.

Police also found what appeared to be stolen items inside the storage unit, including a large quantity of rare, old, collectable coins, confederate currency, several new and used tools and stocks and bonds of various companies with some individuals' information. Keith also said he believes there was jewelry in the unit.

Hurricane resident David Mangum, 50, was booked into the Washington County Jail on suspicion of possession of methamphetamine and paraphernalia, Kantor said.

Mangum has previously been convicted of illegal possession/use of a controlled substance in 1997, according to court documents.

Keith credited Hunter, who is in his fourth year with the police department, for the find and recognized his training officer for the energy, effort and resources he put in to training the dog. Hunter has been involved in many cases, Keith said.

Keith said the amount of drugs was significant to find in one location and seizing the drugs is "very valuable to the community to prevent this kind of stuff from getting out in the hands of the people."

"A human being cannot do the same thing that a K-9 can do," Keith said.

Police hope to locate the owners of the stolen items, which may not have even come from Utah, Keith said. If you have any information regarding the stolen items in the storage unit, you can call 435-986-1515.

The investigation is ongoing, police said.

Contributing: Stace Hall

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