UTAH - A man charged with Paradise construction fraud that escaped from court last month has been found in Utah, according to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey.

Kipp Ford, 40, was found by local police in an upper wall storage cabinet in a Utah garage Wednesday afternoon. 

Ford previously lived in Chico and Gridley but had been tied to Utah, Colorado, Texas, and New Mexico, Ramsey said.

The DA's Office received multiple tips about Ford which were used to track him to Utah. 

Butte County investigators contacted the Herriman Police Department in Utah for assistance locating Ford. HPD conducted surveillance and located Ford's truck parked near a girlfriend's townhouse, Ramsey said.

Officers contacted the girlfriend and allowed them to search her home. The girlfriend claimed she did not know where Ford was. 

While searching the garage of the house, officers noticed a footprint on a box directly below an upper wall storage cabinet. The cabinet door would not open.

The door did not have a lock on it so officers forcibly opened the door. Ford was found inside the cabinet curled up trying to hold the door closed, Ramsey said.

Ford was arrested and booked into Salt Lake County Jail where he will stay until extradited to Butte County Jail.

Chloe Curtis joined Action News Now in 2021 as a digital producer during the week nights. She now reports on the weekend and is a digital producer three nights a week.

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