SEVIER COUNTY, Utah (ABC 4 News) - The Sevier County Sheriff’s Office is looking for a man who has been seen in the Seven Mile/ UM Creek area near Fishlake.
Law enforcement has been searching for 44-year-old Troy Knapp for the last couple years in Iron and Kane Counties after he broke into several cabins in the Duck Creek area. Recent evidence puts Knapp in Beaver, Piute, and Sevier Counties. He’s wanted for several burglaries and fire arms thefts and is believed to be armed and dangerous.
ABC 4 spoke with a local bounty hunter about what a search like this looks like.
Carlos Gallegos has been a bounty hunter for eight years and says it can be difficult to find wanted men who have gone off the grid.
"It's hard because there's really no trail,” said Gallegos.
In the case of Troy Knapp the only trail authorities have had for months is a picture of the 44-year-old caught on a motion-senor camera as be walked by a cabin last winter; that is until now. Sheriff's deputies recently found one of his campsites in the Red Desert area.
We showed the pictures to Gallegos. "I think he's well educated of being up in the mountains,” said Gallegos. “I think he's a mountain man, obviously he's built a good den."
Gallegos also has another theory. "I’m thinking that there are two options, either he must have help from somebody who's rendering him some aid, and at the times he can't get help, he's breaking into homes, but I’m thinking he gets help or he's living off the land,” said Gallegos.
To find a man who's living off the land Gallegos says you have to do it the old fashioned way.
“Get on a horse, move your feet, get trackers and tracking dogs pretty much to it the old fashioned way,” said Gallegos. “You've got to find their habits, their routines and sit on it. Wherever the food goes maybe that person is going too."
Gallegos warns, even if police think they're hunting Knapp, it's very likely they could be on the other side of a scope.
"He could be staring at them in his cross hairs,” said Gallegos.
If any citizens happened to see Knapp or find one of his caches, please contact the local law enforcement immediately. If you can please get a picture of what you see and a GPS coordinate so police can go to the area.
