Man accused of stealing jewelry then making high-value purchases

IVINS, Washington County — A man accused of stealing over $100,000 worth of jewelry and silver from a southern Utah home and then making several high-end purchases has been arrested.

Steven Matthew Sattley, 52, of Washington City, was arrested Thursday and charged Friday in 5th District Court with theft and burglary, both second-degree felonies.

The investigation began on Aug. 22 when the homeowners of an Ivins residence returned after being away for a week and discovered their home had been burglarized.

"The reported stolen items consisted of eighteen 100-ounce silver bars, a diamond ring, a diamond bracelet, and additional jewelry with an aggregate reported value of approximately $125,000," according to a police booking affidavit.

The homeowners told police they believed Sattley may be responsible because he had shown up at their residence unannounced about one week prior to the burglary, allegedly to "charge his cellular phone," the affidavit states. "The homeowners stated this was odd behavior for Sattley, as they had had no contact with him for approximately one month prior to that date."

Detectives interviewed Sattley's family members who claimed that he "has always had financial difficulties," which is why it was suspicious that he "suddenly came into possession of a large amount of money" following the burglary, according to the affidavit.

"Family members reported that Sattley began making high-value purchases, including dental veneers, a new vehicle, and new clothing," the affidavit states.

The surge in money allegedly came from being promoted to a manager position at the Family Dollar store, police were told. "However further investigation found that Sattley has never been employed with Family Dollar," the affidavit states.

On Thursday, a search warrant was served at Sattley's residence.

"Detectives located numerous receipts detailing large financial transactions that had been paid in cash using $100 bills. During the search of Sattley's cellular phone, detectives located numerous internet searches for silver pawn shops and searches relating to the specific details and valuations of the stolen jewelry items. Sattley additionally utilized (an) artificial intelligence platform to compose an email to a real estate agent regarding the purchase of a residence for $280,000 with a request to pay fully in cash," according to the affidavit.

Detectives also learned that Sattley had attempted to give his child a diamond ring that had been stolen from the homeowners, the affidavit states.

Police have requested that Sattley be held in jail without the possibility of posting bail pending the filing of formal charges due to the investigation being ongoing and a "large sum of cash" that is still missing, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit does not state how Sattley and the homeowners are acquainted.