LOGAN — A Logan woman is facing a second-degree felony charge after local authorities tracked her cell phone across state lines to a vehicle reported stolen from a Smithfield residence, according to court records.
Katie Lynn Murdock, 40, was formally charged in the 1st District Court in Logan with theft of a firearm or motor vehicle, a second-degree felony.
The investigation, based on evidence gathered by Smithfield City police, began when Murdock’s family raised alarm and contacted law enforcement regarding her welfare after she left her parents’ home and her location became unknown. Officers attempted to call Murdock’s mobile phone multiple times without receiving a response. Investigators ultimately used cell phone-ping technology, which pinpointed her electronic footprint in the Pocatello, Idaho, area.
Pocatello police officers responded to the location and found Murdock inside a vehicle registered to an outside owner. The registered owner informed police that they did not know Murdock and never gave her permission to possess or drive the automobile. According to charging documents, Murdock had allegedly taken the vehicle from a residential property in Smithfield after finding the keys left inside, subsequently driving it across state lines to Idaho.
Individuals arrested and charged in complaints are presumed innocent unless or until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.