This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
In Park City, Daniel David Courson apparently was a pretty fair guitar teacher.
But students of his Park City Guitar Lessons business knew him as "Max," one of the numerous aliases police say he has used while on the run from a $1 million California arrest warrant for burglary and absconding from parole.
As Max, he earned warm recommendations. One woman posted on the business's Facebook page that her 13-year-old son had "improved at a rapid pace" thanks to "lessons ... perfectly tailored to his skill level."
Max also was lauded for being "very patient and encouraging with his students."
But Park City police say that image eroded with a sour note when the guitar-man's real identity was unveiled.
Courson, 44, did time in California's prison system after bank robberies in 2006. He was paroled in 2014, and the following year, he befriended a wealthy, seriously ill art collector. In June 2015, Courson allegedly entered the man's home and stole several expensive paintings, jewelry, watches and checkbooks, fleeing when confronted by the man and eluding police.
Last month, Park City police were notified by their counterparts in Tustin, Calif., that Courson was living in the Utah resort community, using several false identities. He also had developed a relationship with an area woman, police learned.
On Monday, Park City police just missed catching up with Courson, suspecting that he had been tipped off by a local acquaintance.
Along with other Utah law enforcement agencies, they continue to look for the man. He was last seen driving a stolen silver 2007 Toyota Tacoma with "TRD" emblems on its side panels. The vehicle's Utah license plate number is E048HU.
Courson — also known as Max Taylor, Scott E. Taylor, Max Robert Taylor, Mark Pavlik and Jeremy Penrod — is described as a 6-foot-1, 185-pound white male with blue eyes and short, brown, graying and receding hair. He has been known to alter his appearance by shaving his beard and wearing wigs.
PCPD Lt. Robert Wright asked that anyone with information on Courson's whereabouts call Park City detectives at 435-615-5500. The number for Tustin police is 562-292-0140.
Twitter: @remims