Larry Ray Simper ran from police when confronted at his east Salt Lake City apartment on Sept. 28. Detectives with the Utah Tax Commission's Motor Vehicle Enforcement Division followed a trail of stolen cars and swapped vehicle identification numbers to Simper's apartment.

As officers were waiting outside his home, Simper arrived in a stolen vehicle and fled on foot when confronted by police and is still at large, according to Tax Commission officer Jodi Monaco.

When detectives searched Simper's apartment, they found an electronic planner containing information about auctions Simper was holding on eBay.

Among the items listed were three portable huts for making snow cones that had been reported stolen. An MVED officer remembered seeing the huts at a west-side storage facility, Monaco said.

The detectives discovered the fraudulent eBay transactions just in time to cancel the first sale, which had been bid up to $3,350, Monaco said.

The huts were claimed by police Wednesday morning and await return to their owners, she said.

A $1,000 reward is being offered for information leading to Simper's arrest and conviction of Simper. Anyone with information on his whereabouts is asked to call 801-887-3800.

- Michael N. Westley