Beaver County man charged with 39 sex-related felonies surrenders

ST. GEORGE — A Beaver County man surrendered to authorities Friday evening after a no-bail warrant was issued earlier this week after he failed to show up for court on multiple felony charges.

Destry Mel Stewart, charged with 39 felonies, including rape, unlawful sexual contact with a minor and other sexual abuse charges, failed to show up for a preliminary hearing Monday in 5th District Court in Beaver County.

Read more: Beaver County deputies searching for local man charged with more than 35 sexual abuse-related felonies

At 5:30 p.m. Friday, Beaver County Sheriff Cameron Noel was advised that Stewart wanted to turn himself during a phone conversation with one of Stewart’s family members, according to a statement released by the Sheriff’s Office.

Noel also spoke briefly to Stewart, who assured him he would surrender, and two hours later Stewart walked into the Beaver County Sheriff’s Office where he was taken into custody.

Stewart, 43, is suspected of sexually abusing teenage girls and prosecutors say he violated a no-contact order that was filed Oct. 30 after he was released from jail, according to court documents.

Once the warrant was issued Monday, deputies from sheriff’s offices in Beaver and Millard counties searched the Crystal Park area of Millard County, along with the Utah Department of Public Safety, which provided aerial support as officers searched by helicopter.

This report is based on statements from police or other emergency 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.