Judge refuses bail for Wellsville man charged with drug and sex-offender crimes

Booking photo for Tanner J. Mitton (Courtesy: Cache County Jail)

LOGAN — A 27-year-old Wellsville man has been refused bail again and ordered to remain in jail until his drug cases are tried. Tanner J. Mitton sat with his arms folded, shaking his head, as he claimed prosecutors had lied about him.

Mitton participated in a virtual hearing in 1st District Court Tuesday afternoon, appearing by web conference from jail. He was previously charged with one count of drug distribution, a second-degree felony, six counts of failure to register as a sex-offender and five counts of drug possession, all third-degree felonies; along with 14 other misdemeanors.

Defense attorney John Cooper asked the court to release his client, claiming some of the pending charges were erroneous. He acknowledged, Mitton had made mistakes but they were “minor errors”. He said the defendant wasn’t a flight risk and should be considered innocent until proven guilty.

Cache County Deputy Attorney Dane Murray argued bail isn’t allowed for Mitton under Utah law. He noted that the defendant was charged with more felonies when released on bail previously.

Last fall, Cache County sheriff’s deputies began investigating Mitton, after receiving a drug tip. They allegedly tracked the suspect making multiple brief trips to several parking lots and convenience stores in the Murray area. They also reported that he had failed to update his sex-offender registry with his current residence, vehicle description and social media account.

On Oct. 17, deputies initiated a traffic stop as Mitton was allegedly returning from another trip to Murray. After obtaining a search warrant, deputies found methamphetamine and heroin inside the vehicle.

During Tuesday’s hearing, Mitton claimed he has tried to be honest and put his life back together. He admitted drug use had caused him to spiral downward previously but wanted to be in his daughter’s life again.

Judge Angela Fonnesbeck refused to grant Mitton bail, noting there had been reports of violations while the defendant was released previously. She acknowledged the difficult situation, waiting for trials to be held again, but noted Utah law doesn’t allow bail for individuals charged with new felonies while already on bail.

Cooper said he respected the court’s decision and appreciated Judge Fonnesbeck’s time hearing their arguments. He indicated that he planned to file several more motions as they continue fighting the charges.

Mitton was ordered to appear again in court June 1. He has been in jail for six months and could face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.


[email protected]

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

For security, use of Google's reCAPTCHA service is required which is subject to the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

I agree to these terms.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.