CEDAR CITY — The discovery of child sex dolls in a southern Utah landfill led to the arrest of a man police say had more of the illegal dolls in his home.

Shane Alexander Larson, 54, of Cedar City, was arrested Thursday and charged Friday in 5th District Court with six counts of distributing or purchasing a child sex doll, a third-degree felony; and six counts of possession of a child sex doll, a class A misdemeanor.

The investigation began a week ago when Iron County sheriff’s deputies were called to the county landfill, where an employee, while conducting “routine checks of the dumpsters for anything that is not supposed to be put in the dumpster to prevent fire hazards,” found two such dolls, according to a police booking affidavit.

“The box that the sex dolls were in had the shipping label on it, an attempt to black out the label with a Sharpie marker, but the shipping label was still legible,” the affidavit states.

The box and shipping label were traced back to Larson’s home and investigators obtained a search warrant for the residence. At the home, detectives found additional dolls, the affidavit states.

When questioned, Larson admitted that those found at the landfill were his and that he discarded them “because they appeared to look too young,” according to the arrest report.

Larson was arrested at the conclusion of the interview.

In 2023, HB108, which bans the possession, distribution or purchase of sex dolls made to look like children, and was sponsored by Rep. Matthew Gwynn, R-Farr West — who is also chief of the Roy Police Department — sailed through both chambers of the Legislature without a single lawmaker opposing it. The bill was then signed into law by the governor.

“I just tried to help the team to get points as much as I can, and it’s a big team win tonight,” Vejmelka shared. “We need every point now. It’s a huge two points.”

After Vegas opened the game with five shots in the first 1:45, Captain Clayton Keller’s goal a minute later shifted momentum to the visitors. 3:18 after his first goal, Keller added his second of the game and doubled the Mammoth’s lead. Keller has found the scoresheet in six of the team’s last seven road games in March (3G, 5A).

“He was ready, his line played really good, especially in the first period,” Tourigny said of Keller. “I’m not saying they fade down after, I’m just saying they were more dynamic in the first. I think it was great to have that offensive production and like I said, three great goals in the first that give us a good lead.”

“Just being around the net,” Keller said of his goals. “Heck of a play by (John Marino) on one, and (a) fortunate bounce. I think when you’re around the net, (the) puck’s going to find you eventually. I think I’ve had a lot of chances lately and just bearing down and it’s good to see them go in.”

Two minutes after the Captain put Utah up 2-0, Jack McBain scored his eighth of the season and increased the Mammoth’s lead to 3-0. McBain has scored in two straight games and continued to bring a high level of physicality with a team-leading seven hits. Tourigny complimented McBain’s line with Barrett Hayton and Michael Carcone.

“I think that line is playing rock solid,” Tourigny shared. “I think it’s night after night. They grind, they compete, they play both sides of the puck. They make plays with the puck, but they make safe plays as well. Really like what they bring.”

The Mammoth picked up all four possible points on this two-game road trip and will continue to push for a post-season berth. However, it’s a quick turnaround as the team travels back to Salt Lake City to host the Anaheim Ducks Friday night. 

“We know the schedule, so every game matters now,” Vejmelka said. “We have another big challenge tomorrow. We need to reset pretty quick and get ready for tomorrow.”

Additional Notes from Tonight (per Mammoth PR)

• This marks Utah’s second straight shutout win at T-Mobile Arena, after earning a 6-0 victory in the second road matchup with Vegas in 2024-25.

• Mikhail Sergachev has now earned points in four of his last five games (1G, 3A).

• Keller’s two goals came over the opening 6:05 of regulation, marking the second-fastest two goals by any player from the start of a game in franchise history.

Utah’s Prop. 4 repeal is hanging by a thread. A steady drip of signature removals has the Republican-led effort to undo the state’s voter-approved anti-gerrymandering law on the edge of missing November’s ballot.

Utahns for Representative Government (UFRG) wants voters to repeal Prop. 4, the 2018 ballot initiative that created an independent redistricting commission and outlawed partisan gerrymandering. To qualify the repeal for the ballot, organizers had to collect signatures equal to 8% of active voters statewide and also reach that 8% target in 26 of Utah’s 29 Senate districts.

Utah also lets voters who signed a petition remove their signature within a specified window. Opponents of the repeal effort have been taking advantage of that window, contacting signers and urging them to rescind their signatures.

As of Thursday morning, updated totals show another 118 signatures removed in Senate District 15, shrinking the cushion to a paper-thin 114 above the threshold. One more day like this, and SD15 fails, taking the repeal’s ballot hopes with it.

Other districts are also eroding, but not quite as rapidly:

• SD12: 460 surplus signatures (12 removals today)
• SD17: 577 surplus signatures (33 removals today)
• SD10: 590 surplus signatures (6 removals today)
• SD8: 652 surplus signatures (8 removals today)

In 2018, the Count My Vote initiative, which sought to shift Utah’s elections from the caucus/convention system for nominating candidates to a direct primary election, initially submitted more than 132,000 signatures—enough to qualify the measure for the ballot. The initiative was knocked off the ballot after opponents peeled off just enough names in two Senate districts. The Utah Supreme Court later upheld the state’s removal process.

Voters have 45 days from when their name is posted online to pull their signature off a petition. In SD15 alone, nearly 3,400 names are still within that window—about 29 times the size of the district’s current 114-signature surplus.