CEDAR CITY – The Iron County Attorney’s Office charged a 44-year-old Cedar City man with a class A misdemeanor Thursday after police arrested him earlier the same day on a third-degree felony.
The Iron County Sheriff’s Office arrested John Paul Lindsay at approximately 9 a.m. for allegedly having a 3-inch knife strapped to the outside of his glove on the back of his hand.
Deputies booked Lindsay on a third-degree felony for having the weapon as a Category I restricted person. The county attorney’s office, however, charged him on a Class A misdemeanor weapons charge as a Category II restricted person.
Under Utah code 76-10-503 a Category I felon is considered a restricted person prohibited from possessing a weapon. Category 1 restricted person status may arise from a person’s previous violent felony conviction or being on probation or parole for any felony, among other things.
Category II pertains to a person with any prior felony conviction or weapons charges involving certain drug use. A person who has been dishonorably discharged from the armed forces or been committed to a mental institution, among other things can also fall under this category.
“The knife was open and strapped to the outside of John’s glove on the back of his hand,” Bettridge wrote in a probable cause statement. “I had him close the knife for my safety.”According to the charging documents, sheriff’s Deputy Jon Bettridge had previously made contact with Lindsay earlier that morning. At the time, he was on the 2800 block of West Midvalley Road and allegedly sitting on the street with a headlamp, flashlight, cellphone and 3-inch knife.
The deputy also asked Lindsay what was in the jacket he was wearing after noticing a bulge in the hoodie. Lindsay reportedly unzipped his jacket and revealed a monocular device.
The suspect told Bettridge he was out for a jog, according to the statement. The deputy released him after checking his information and not finding anything.
Bettridge then ran his name in the Interstate Identification Index and found Lindsay listed as a Category I felon, documents state. A Triple I report allows law enforcement to obtain local, state and federal records not discovered in a routine warrant check.
Bettridge found Lindsay on the 5000 block of North Lund Highway later that morning, allegedly with the open knife again strapped to the back of his hand in the same manner.
Lindsay was released from the Iron County Correctional Facility on Monday after posting a $5,000 bail bond. He is scheduled to make his initial appearance in court Feb. 16.
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