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Show Suspect Arrested, Officers Confiscate Stolen Airplane Because of the combined efforts of an observant waitress and an alert Federal Aviation Administration air traffic control specialist, Garfield County law enforcement officers Friday confiscated a stolen aircraft valued at $400,000 and arrested a suspect believed to be the subject of a multi-state manhunt. Taken into custody at the Bryce Canyon airport after offering no resistance was Mark James Block, 26, Bridgewater, New Jersey. Local authorities began piecing together the details of the bizarre four-day chase from Florida through Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas , and ultimately, Utah. The aircraft, a Twin Cessna C320 was reported stolen by owner Frank A. McBride after he was notifed by hangar personnel at the Jacksonville, Fla., airport of the unscheduled departure of his aircraft around 5 p.m. June 12. The plane had been brought into the airport earlier that morning by McBride, refueled and parked in the hangar waiting a later scheduled flight. From what McBride determined, someone had entered the locked aircraft, started the engines inside the hangar, taxied the craft down the taxiway to the runway without contacting ground control. Without tower clearance the aircraft took off against the flow of air traffic. Florida authorities were im mediately alerted to the incident and a description of the suspect was . given by airport lineman. Police work by Florida authorities traced the aircraft through four states over a two-day period, but the trail was lost somewhere in west Texas on June 14. An alert waitress, Sheree L. Garrett, Bryce Canyon, questioned the actions of a pilot who had flown into the local airport Wednesday night, June 15, when he began offering free flights and cut rate charter services to all parts of the United States. She then contacted a local FFA employee at Bryce Canyon airport with the information. When the FAA employee reported for work Thursday morning, he routinely checked transient aircraft at the airport and found that the expensive Twin Cessna was listed as stolen from Jacksonville the previous Sunday. The flight service station was instructed by Duval County Sheriff, Jacksonville, Fla. to notify local law enforcement to confiscate the stolen aircraft and, if possible, apprehend the pilot. About 9 a.m., Thursday, Garfield County Sheriff's deputy John Niemann, with the assistance of Than Cooper, Panguitch City Flying into Bryce Canyon Friday from Florida to reclaim his stolen Twin Cessna C320, Frank A. police officer, impounded the air craft and began searching nearby motels and restaurants for the suspect. No trace was found and sub sequently a stake out was set up at the aircraft. When the suspect had not appeared after an hour, the officers accompanied by the FAA specialist approached the aircraft to disable it agaiast future flight. As the craft was boarded, the sleeping suspect was discovered in (Continued on Page 4) McBride gives local Bryce Canyon waitress Sheree Garrett a hug for recovery of his plane. Aircraft (Continued from Page 1) the rear section of the plane.4 Officers arrested him without incident, removed him from the plane and transported him to Panguitch where he was incarcerated in the Garfield County jail. Block, who is being held locally on charges of possession of stolen property, was arraigned Monday before Judge John Yardley and bail was set at $25,000. Numerous charges are pending against the suspect and an extradition hearing is set for June 30 before Sixth District Court Judge Don V. Tibbs., |