SWEETWATER COUNTY, WYO – Cops in Rock Springs have been busy lately.
First, a Utah fugitive on the run for more than a year was captured in Rock Springs yesterday. Christopher Fierro, 21, originally of Los Angeles, was wanted by authorities in West Jordan, Utah for violating his probation on charges of two counts of Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor.
Utah law enforcement, the U.S. Marshals Service, and county detectives tracked Fierro to a business in Rock Springs where he was arrested without incident Thursday by a team of county detectives and deputy marshals.
The bail specified on Fierro’s Utah charging documents is $60,000. Sweetwater County Sheriff Mike Lowell said his office is in contact with Utah officials to arrange for Fierro’s return to Salt Lake County.
Meanwhile, authorities in Rock Springs helped US Marshals track down a woman wanted for internet fraud. Paula Quinton, 61, was taken into custody yesterday at a Rock Springs residence by county deputies and U.S. Marshals after she failed to appear at a May 4 probation hearing.
In 2015, Quinton pleaded guilty in Federal Court to mail fraud after admitting to her participation in a scheme to defraud people who responded to sales offerings on the internet. In the scam, individuals responding to online advertisements sent money to purchase merchandise which did not exist. Victims were instructed to send money to Quinton, who would then keep a small portion and forward the rest to Nigeria and other places.
The case was investigated by special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). Quinton received three years supervised probation and was ordered to pay $2,075 in restitution.
Quinton remains in custody at the Sweetwater County Detention Center for violating terms of her probation.
