ST. GEORGE — A local man with a first-degree arrest warrant issued on an aggravated theft case in Oregon faces new felony charges in Utah after officers in Springdale reportedly recovered two bank cards during the suspect’s arrest.
Officers in Springdale were notified June 22 that fugitive Carl John Racker, 49, was wanted on a warrant out of Oregon that was extraditable from all 50 states, according to the fugitive complaint filed following the arrest.
Officers responded to the residence where Racker was staying and he was taken into custody by police.
Officers recovered several bank cards in another person’s name, and when they asked the suspect why he had them, Racker reportedly said he had found one card at a convenience store in Hurricane but did not know the owner of the card.
The second bank card was issued by the same financial institution, but the account holder’s name had been scratched off.
The suspect was transported to jail in Washington County on the fugitive warrant, as well as two third-degree felony counts of unlawful possession of a financial transaction card. He remains in custody to face his charges here, while he awaits extradition back to Oregon.
Springdale Police Officer Britt Ballard told St. George News the warrant was issued in connection with an investigation by the Crook County Sheriff’s Office in Prineville, Oregon, where Racker faced multiple charges.
The case in Oregon was filed in April of last year involving nine charges, including a first-degree felony count of aggravated theft and six second-degree charges – five counts of criminal mischief and once count of criminal trespass and two counts of possession of burglary tools.
On March 22, 2022, he was arrested and booked into the Crook County Jail in Prineville, Oregon, where he was held on $110,000 bail, according to jail records.
He was released the following month after posting a bond and shortly thereafter, the Crook County District Attorney filed three of the charges, including first-degree aggravated theft, second-degree criminal trespass and criminal mischief, while the remaining charges were never filed in the case.
The first warrant was issued on March 2, 2023, after he failed to appear for a hearing scheduled in the Crook County Circuit Court in Prineville.
On March 3, Racker was arrested during a traffic stop on state Route 59 in Hildale for a cracked windshield. When an officer approached, the suspect identified himself under a different name, even though the officers recognized the suspect from prior interactions with police. That was when the suspect advised of the warrant issued out of Oregon, and after spending a month in jail in Washington County, he was released and ordered to appear in Oregon on the warrant.
A second warrant was issued by the Crook County Circuit Court on June 7 after he failed to appear for another scheduled hearing, and according to the complaint, the warrant indicated it was “unlimited – all states,” which is the warrant that led to the suspect’s arrest in Springdale last week.
Racker made his initial appearance Friday in 5th District Court on the fugitive warrant, and authorities noted the felony case filed as well. He remains in custody without bail and a preliminary hearing is scheduled on both cases for July 11.
The suspect has a criminal history in Utah dating back more than two decades, including a 2016 case filed in Weber County following his arrest after he allegedly grabbed an officer’s duty weapon during a scuffle with police on Feb. 14. He was charged with a first-degree felony count of attempting to disarm a peace officer, along with misdemeanor charges for failing to stop at command of law enforcement and resisting arrest. The felony charge was later dropped and the defendant was placed on probation.
A case was filed in Davis County in August 2003 following an incident wherein the defendant, an inmate who was cuffed and wearing wrist shackles at the time, stole a detective’s unmarked patrol unit and led police on a chase through Ogden until he was arrested a short while later.
He was booked into the Weber County Jail on suspicion of escape from custody, evading police, reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, and auto theft, according to KSL News.
Racker was being investigated for a burglary case when the escape occurred, and the suspect had another run-in with police a few months prior when he was pulled over while driving a motorhome filled with at least two guns and about $1,000 worth of stolen property.
This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.
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