Crazy Guy roaming Utah Wilderness -- Scary Stuff

Isn't it just like the cops to single out the oddball? I agree with some others, he is the easy target for blame because he is unknown.
 
They finally got him. We dont need crazies roaming the wilderness. We've got enough of them in the cities.

And for those of you, who thought that he was just a "free soul", who the big bad goverment had singled out for being "different"...The asshole shot at police officers and a police helicopter. If that is not a act of a mentally disturbed man, then i dont what is.

Good thing they didnt kill him, because now he can spend the rest of his life behind bars.

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http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57577682-504083/troy-knapp-mountain-man-survivalist-arrested-after-years-of-alleged-utah-cabin-burglaries-authorities-say/

MANTI, Utah - Troy Knapp, an elusive survivalist dubbed the "Mountain Man" by cabin owners for allegedly burglarizing dozens of mountain cabins in Utah, was captured Tuesday after evading police for six years, authorities said.

Knapp, 45, was taken into custody in the snowy mountains outside of Ferron in central Utah after firing several shots at officers and a helicopter, authorities said. He was booked into Sanpete County jail Tuesday evening.

Sanpete County Sheriff Brian Nielson said no one was hit before Knapp was captured, who tried to flee on snowshoes from dozens of officers who converged on snowmobiles and a snowcat. There was nearly 4 feet of snow at the 9,200 feet elevation.

Authorities said Knapp was armed with several rifles and one handgun. He was also wearing camouflage clothes and sporting a red beard with some gray.

"He was severely outgunned at the time," Nielson said. "He ran into a number of officers that were also well armed and he could see that he was out of his league."

After surrendering, Knapp was cooperative and talkative with police, showing them on a map everywhere he has been and telling them he was relieved to be out of the winter elements. He was captured in an area about 180 miles north of the site where detectives believed he was a year ago.

"He's done well at this for a number of years, obviously," Nielson said. "We're extremely happy and relieved. All of us are safer because he's in custody at this point."

Authorities said Knapp was armed and dangerous when he broke into dozens of mountain cabins across remote southern Utah. They said he was photographed by a motion-triggered camera on snowshoes with a stolen rifle slung over his shoulder.

Knapp was living off the comfort of those cabins in winter then retreating to makeshift summer camps deep in the forest with stolen guns and supplies, detectives said.

"It is a relief to know that he has been caught," said Eugene Bartholomew, the owner of a cabin broken into recently. "If he slept in the beds that's fine with me as long as he didn't tear up the place."

After the six-year chase, detectives finally got a break on Good Friday when two hunters had a chance encounter with a man near a mountain lake. The man told the hunters that he was a "mountain man," and they reported the sighting, authorities said in a written statement.

That triggered a search in which detectives followed tracks and learned two burglaries in the area resembled break-ins in other parts of the state.

Several police agencies gathered to find and capture the survivalist on Monday. About 40 officers wearing camouflage clothing and riding snowmobiles and a snowcat began the search about 1 a.m. Tuesday. Nine hours later, with the help of the helicopter, they flushed the suspect out of a cabin where he was barricaded, leading to the arrest.

Authorities say Knapp's motives have never been clear but speculated that he was fed up with civilization.

Sanpete County Attorney Brody Keisel said he's waiting to receive all law enforcement reports on the case but expects to file a number of felony charges.

Until last weekend, the last known sighting of Knapp was on Oct. 1, 2012 by a surveillance camera in Sanpete County. Iron, Kane and Garfield counties have all issued arrest warrants for him on burglary and weapons charges.

In the spring of 2012, the search for Knapp escalated as the summer tourist season approached. Detectives suspected Knapp was roaming the mountains around Zion National Park, following rivers, using pay phones, and even riding park shuttle buses to stock up on food in a nearby town.

Zion rangers were alerted and distributed posters warning cabin owners to be on the lookout.

There were no previous violent confrontations with Knapp, but authorities had feared he was a ticking time bomb.

He is suspected of leaving some cabins riddled with bullet holes, defacing religious icons and writing taunting notes.

"Hey Sheriff ... Gonna put you in the ground!" he wrote in one note, according to court records.

Records indicate Knapp fell off the radar in 2002 when he apparently left California in violation of his parole for a burglary conviction. He was charged with theft in 2000 in California, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years in prison, according to records.

In 2007, southern Utah authorities began investigating a string of cabin burglaries they believed were tied to one person. Over the years, detectives found unattended summer camps stocked with dozens of guns and stolen, high-end outdoor gear.

It wasn't until early 2012 that investigators identified Knapp as the suspect from cabin surveillance photos and videos.
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So... I'm glad they got his without anyone getting hurt. But... will he be permabanned from the forum now? :confused:




;)
 
Pretty interesting story from a law enforcement and survivialist point of view. They did get the "mountain man"... "You got me." I found that comment immensely humorous. Just like meth lab cookers, they know they are nabbed and just essentially invite law enforcement in.
 
Sulaco said:
There's a really creepy story in this thread of a guy and his girl camping on a stream and they have a run-in with some woods wacko. It's a freaky read. Have fun finding it! ;)

http://www.survivalistboards.com/showthread.php?t=57236&highlight=creepy
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I love creepy story threads!!! Thanks for sharing, there's some good ones in that thread!

As for the Mountain Man in Utah, well, I don't condone thieving or being a vandal, but in reality, I'd say very few of us could live on the lamb for 6 years. He does have some skills at least. In Summer, he lived in remote camps. I guarantee you he will be charged with every cabin break in no matter whether he did it or not. That's the way Law Enforcement works. Guy breaks into a few remote cabins and gets caught, well let's clean out our cabin break-in files!

I'm betting a lot of those break-ins they're saying he did, were done by dopers or kids looking for crap to sell to buy drugs.
 
Haha he does seem like he's having the time of his life! (I'm going to choose to pretend I never read the defacing religious symbols and defecating in pans part)
 
Breaking into cabins and stealing property is bad enough, but leaving threatening notes, shooting at cops etc. is a whole other ball of wax. Hope he enjoyed his freedom while he had it because it will be nothing but concrete walls and bars form now on.
 
1. News stories are often inaccurate.
2. Maybe the FBI does have some physical evidence that it's the same guy.
3. Maybe the FBI doesn't have any physical evidence that it's the same guy.
4. Someone has some reason to think that the events were connected.
5. The whole "Government Manufactured Boogie Man" idea is pretty silly.
6. For the record, I found out a week ago that a refrigerator was stolen from our deer camp cabin.
7. Last and most importantly, nobody really understands what someone else is thinking or how they are thinking.
 
Wasn't referring to religion at all, actually.

And it was meant tongue in cheek. Bit of a running joke around my part of the country.
 
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