This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Criminal charges continue to pile up against Troy James Knapp, who police believe is the notorious "Mountain Man" cabin burglar.
On Tuesday, Emery County prosecutors filed six new charges against Knapp: one count of aggravated burglary, a first-degree felony, two counts of second-degree felony theft, one charge of class A misdemeanor theft, one count of second-degree felony burglary and one count of criminal mischief, a class B misdemeanor.
Emery is the sixth Utah county to file charges against Knapp, who is accused of cabin break-ins dating back to at least 2009.
Beaver County officials have filed four charges of burglary and theft against the man earlier this month, while Sanpete County filed three separate cases against him in April after his capture near Ferron Reservoir, charging him with six felonies and five misdemeanors — mostly burglary and theft charges. In 2012, Iron, Kane and Garfield counties filed burglary-related charges.
As of Thursday, Knapp, 45, is facing a total of 26 felonies and 13 misdemeanors.
The charges filed in Emery County's 7th District Court pertain to two cabins Knapp allegedly broke into just prior to his April 2 capture near Ferron Reservoir.
According to court documents, cabin owners in the Reeder subdivision in Joe's Valley alerted police after it appeared someone had broken into their cabins. One cabin owner told police on March 31 that someone had bent a screen and entered through a window into his cabin, where the intruder drank several sodas and cooked some food on a barbecue grill and wood-burning cook stove. Three guns were also missing from the cabin, the owner reported, along with a pair of binoculars and a pair of black Army surplus boots.
A second cabin owner told police on April 30 that someone pried open their cabin door, but nothing was missing from inside the home.
According to court documents, Knapp had one of the missing handguns with him when he was arrested. He admitted to breaking into both cabins, according to an Emery County detective, telling authorities that he didn't find anything he wanted in the second cabin.
Knapp is currently being held at the Sanpete County jail, and prosecution is underway in the three Sanpete cases. He will be back in court on July 10 for a scheduling conference.
Sanpete County Attorney Brody Keisel has said that Knapp may also face federal charges, but no charges had been filed as of Thursday.
Those federal charges would likely address alleged crimes Knapp committed during his April 2 capture, when police say he fired a rifle at a Department of Public Safety helicopter. He also allegedly pointed the weapon at Emery County Sheriff Greg Funk, one of about 50 law officers who converged on Knapp near Ferron Reservoir.
Twitter: @jm_miller