Homeless man arrested again after digging hole under Murray overpass

A 45-year-old man already facing felony charges for carving a cave beneath a freeway overpass was arrested again this week after authorities say they found another large hole dug near the same Winchester Street overpass. The new booking adds trespassing and criminal mischief allegations as officials move to secure the site.

New arrest and charges

Murray police booked Troy Coyn Jones into the Salt Lake County Jail on Wednesday (ET) on investigation of trespassing and criminal mischief/recklessly impairing critical infrastructure. An arresting officer wrote in a police booking affidavit that officers located another large hole dug beneath a transit line structure over Winchester Street and that the officer found Jones inside the hole.

Jones had been arrested at the same location on Monday (ET) and was charged Tuesday in Murray Justice Court with illegal camping, a class B misdemeanor. The new booking adds more serious allegations tied to the structural integrity of nearby transit infrastructure.

Scene and prior digging

The excavation is located around 425 West Winchester Street under a TRAX line structure and close to the pillar supporting northbound I-15. Charging documents from last year describe a larger cave carved into the same area; earlier excavations were tall enough for a person to stand inside and were described in court records as roughly six feet tall in some spots and as large as nine feet in others.

State crews previously filled a major cavity at the site with concrete after workers discovered the earlier hole. Officials have said the location sits on highway right-of-way in a fenced area marked with no-trespassing signage.

Risk to infrastructure and planned fixes

Transit and highway officials say digging around bridge supports and drainage lines can create erosion problems and potentially threaten structural elements over time. A transit agency spokesperson noted crews were fortunate to find the most recent excavation before it could damage the overpass or impede drainage systems.

Plans are in place to fill the new hole with concrete in the coming days to prevent additional digging and to protect the drainage access that engineers need to inspect and maintain. Officials emphasized that keeping the area accessible for maintenance is necessary but that unauthorized digging creates hazards.

Neighbors react

People who work nearby said they have noticed activity in the area for months. Wes Durr, a barber who has a shop in the neighborhood, said his first reaction to seeing the hole was that it looked unusual, even interesting. But he also expressed sympathy for someone who appears to be using the site as shelter.

"At first I was like, that's kind of cool, " Durr said. "But I don't think fines or arrests are going to deter him. That's his home. I feel like it's safer to be in a hole like that than it is to be on the street. "

Legal status and next steps

Jones faces a pending felony charge of criminal mischief for the earlier incident and now faces additional felony and misdemeanor allegations tied to the most recent excavation. A preliminary hearing in the earlier case is scheduled for March 3 (ET).

Authorities say they will continue to monitor and reinforce the site to prevent further excavations and to protect critical infrastructure in the immediate area while the legal process plays out.