This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
New criminal charges were filed this week against so-called "Mountain Man" Troy James Knapp.
Knapp was charged Monday in Richfield's 6th District Court with four new felony charges: two counts of aggravated burglary and two counts of theft.
The man, who is accused of burglarizing numerous cabins in several Utah counties over approximately six years, now faces 43 felony and misdemeanor charges — mostly theft and burglary charges — in district court in seven Utah counties: Beaver, Emery, Garfield, Iron, Kane, Sanpete and now Sevier.
However, all court proceedings against Knapp in state court have been put on hold while he faces federal charges for allegedly shooting at officers who captured him in Sanpete County last year.
Knapp in October pleaded not guilty to assaulting a federal officer, use of a firearm during a crime of violence and for being a felon in possession of a firearm.
An April 28 trial has been set, but U.S. District Court documents indicate that Knapp may change his plea at a hearing scheduled for next Monday.
Knapp, 46, a wilderness survivalist, managed to elude cabin owners and law enforcement officers for years as he allegedly broke into cabins during winter months for shelter and supplies. Authorities finally got a solid lead on his whereabouts last April from a group of people collecting antlers on central Utah's Ferron Mountain who reported seeing someone who looked like the wanted man.
Emery County deputies tracked Knapp for several days, following as he wandered near the Ferron Reservoir area of Sanpete County. On April 2, 2013, a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter spotted Knapp chopping wood outside a cabin. Police say Knapp fired a weapon at the helicopter and also pointed a weapon at officers before he was taken into custody.
The federal indictment alleges Knapp was armed with an SKS-type assault rifle and a .357 caliber handgun, which authorities previously have said were stolen during a Sevier County burglary.
Twitter: @jm_miller