Escaped Duchesne County inmate found hiding on a ranch that has ties to 1998 murders

SALT LAKE CITY — A man who evaded police for several months was found hiding at a ranch that’s connected to a 1998 double homicide.

Gattlyn Nicholes, 33, was wanted by the Duchesne County Sheriff’s Office after he was released from the Duchesne County Jail to attend an inpatient rehabilitation facility on Oct. 1, 2024.

“Before arriving at the rehabilitation facility, (Nicholes) absconded, and currently has eight active no bail warrants for his arrest,” the sheriff’s office said in a press release.

According to a police affidavit, Duchesne County sheriffs received a tip from an informant on Thursday that Nicholes was hiding in a residence at Pinder Ranch.

The sheriff’s office obtained a warrant to enter the property to arrest Nicholes and traveled to the ranch. The affidavit stated that the informant approached deputies and told them Nicholes was in the living room.

According to the affidavit, deputies knocked on the residence’s front door, announced the search warrant, and immediately entered the home. Deputies found Nicholes getting off the couch and fleeing down a hallway to escape.

The deputies reported ordering Nicholes to get on the ground and face away from them. Nicholes did respond to their commands but reached for a door that led outside. He was taken into police custody without further incident and transported to the jail.

During the search of the property, deputies reported finding used syringes in a wheel camper. Deputies said the syringes had Nicholes’s name on them and had what appeared to be heroin inside them.

According to the affidavit, deputies arrived earlier on Thursday with a separate search warrant because the sheriff’s office received a separate tip stating that Nicholes was at the property.

“When the warrant was executed (Nicholes) was able to escape using a trap door located under a mattress in the bedroom located in the east end of the home,” the affidavit stated. “The trap door led out from under the house to the outside of the home.”

Nicholes was unable to take a drug test at the jail, but based on evidence and witnesses, deputies believe he would test positive for illegal narcotics.

According to arrest documents, Nicholes is suspected of committing several crimes from April to August. Those crimes included stealing several trailers, vehicles, and firearms and fleeing from police. Nicholes is also a convicted felon and is restricted from owning firearms.

The sheriff’s office suspects that Nicholes is also involved in a motorhome theft, which was found on fire on Oct. 23 on Highway 35.

Nicholes was booked into Duchesne County Jail on suspicion of possessing a controlled substance, use or possession of drug paraphernalia and obstruction of justice.

The affidavit stated that Nicholes should not be released on bail due to his past crimes, calling him “a menace to the public.”

Pinder Ranch, the property where Nicholes was found, was tied to a 1998 double homicide where the former owner, John Pinder, killed and kidnapped two victims. According to police, the ranch now belongs to the JJNP Company.

According to the sheriff’s office, it’s believed that the members of the ranch are involved in Nicholes’s crimes. The office also believed that Nicholes stole vehicles from the JJNP Company.