Sometimes fact is stranger than fiction. Three men are in Uintah County Jail on a long list of charges including kidnapping and it was all over a missing “sentimental bandana”. According to the Probable Cause Statement, the incident occurred on January 5th when Cody Joseph Alvarez, Kevin Walker, and Dylon Smuin told a group of six people that “no one was leaving the premises until after a bandana belonging to [Alvarez] was located.” The men had firearms and showed the guns to the six individuals. One of the individuals was able to send a message to a friend that they were being held hostage and authorities were contacted and responded. The trio was arrested. “A backpack belonging to the defendant contained two fully loaded firearms that the serial numbers had been obliterated along with additional loaded magazines [and] a box of ammunition for each of them,” shares the statement. “A metal tube was also found in the backpack that contained 7.2 grams of methamphetamine, 0.9 grams of marijuana, $141 dollars cash, empty baggies, and a digital scale consistent with distribution activity.” Alvarez is charged with 6 counts of 1st degree felony Aggravated Kidnapping, felony Possession With Intent to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Possession of a Dangerous Weapon by a Restricted Person, and two counts of misdemeanor Altering the Number on a Firearm. Kevin Walker and Dylon Smuin were also charged with 6 counts of 1st degree felony Aggravated Kidnapping, among other charges. The men are being held without bail.
