Released convict arrested again on same day he’s let out of jail

JACKSON (WNE) — Just four hours after Peter Hawkinson was released from the Teton County Detention Center after being held for stealing a camper, he was arrested again and charged with felony auto burglary.

Hawkinson, 54, was taken into custody Tuesday evening by the Jackson Police Department after officers traced his footsteps using the tracker on a phone left in a vehicle stolen at Ace Hardware, according to an affidavit filed in Teton County Circuit Court. 

Sgt. Jeremiah Peery responded to a report of a stolen vehicle at Ace Hardware at 3:45 p.m. on Tuesday. The victim told the officer he stopped to shop, and when he came out of the store someone was driving away in his work truck. His cellphone, keys and wallet were left in the white 2013 Chevrolet Silverado.

The truck was located in the Snow King Resort’s back parking lot, but the wallet, iPhone and truck keys were missing.

Law enforcement officers aired the details of the theft over the radio and were advised that the description of the suspect matched a prisoner released that day from the jail. Peery said in the affidavit that he watched the surveillance video of the theft and compared the footage with photos from the suspect’s booking photo. 

Hawkinson was positively identified, and a search around Jackson began. He was arrested near the post office Tuesday  afternoon. The victim’s possessions were found on him. 

The first time Hawkinson was arrested in Teton County was Sept. 2 in connection with the theft of a pop-up camper trailer.

The affidavit stated that after that arrest, officers discovered his criminal history includes 30 arrests “with 22 charges of felony theft, six cases of felony fraud, five cases of burglary and 11 cases of vehicle theft.”

This story was published on September 27, 2024.