By Aidan Mortensen | KOAL News

A Castle Dale man was arrested on Monday, June 23, for an investigation into the unlawful use of a financial card.

Joe J. Mower, age 49, has been accused of using a credit card – that was to be used to aid a friend’s financial obligations – to buy drugs and gifts for other women totaling over $36,000 in purchases.

According to the police booking affidavit, this spending spree began when authorities in Emery County were alerted by a “local mental health authority” that while a woman was staying in the Utah State Hospital, she had” entrusted a financial transaction card to Joe Mower … to pay court-related fines and (her) financial obligations while she was at the hospital.”

Upon reviewing financial records, investigators found 13 ATM withdrawals totaling $6,500 and an excess of $36,000 in purchases between August 2024 and March of this year. According to court documents, when asked how the money was spent, Mower told investigators it was used” to purchase controlled substances from his friends for his addictions and purchased gifts for multiple women to gain admiration.”

In Utah, unlawful use of a financial card can be classified as a second-degree felony if “the value of the property, money, or thing obtained or attempted to be obtained is or exceeds $5,000,” according to Utah State Code 76-6-506.2.

According to the arrest report, Mower also” admitted to purchasing multiple prepaid Visa cards from stores such as Family Dollar and other merchants to use as payment for controlled substances.”

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other responders and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.