Lehi City News
Details emerge about hobby store crime suspects and arrest
Jennifer Thomas | Lehi Free Press
Friday, Jan. 2, 2026, “A Mad Man’s Hobby” located at 127 E. State St., Lehi, was the target of an aggravated robbery by two suspects, one male and one female. The suspects stole merchandise from the hobby store. When Mark Willson, a store employee, attempted to intervene, the suspects struck the victim with their vehicle, dragging him a short distance before fleeing the scene.
The victim suffered serious injuries to his legs and right arm. He also sustained facial injuries that will require surgery.
According to Teresa Mott, owner of Mad Man’s Hobby store, “Mark Willson has suffered both legs broken, right arm broken, left arm has a crack in the bone, left eye socket shattered, nasal cavity shattered and cuts and bruises.
“The victim has had two surgeries and will need more, along with plastic surgery.”
Mott posted pictures of the suspects on the Facebook business account page, which led to their identification and arrest.
“Lehi Police used available surveillance footage to help identify the suspects,” said Livingston.
Monday, Jan. 5, an anonymous tip to the Lehi Police Department identified the suspects as Riley Deborah Shelman and Gavin Drake Huss. The tipster said they recognized the pair after seeing images from surveillance footage posted on social media. With that information, Lehi investigators “compared social media pictures of the suspects to the surveillance footage and positively identified the suspects as persons in the footage,” according to Lehi Police.
Lehi investigators performed a registration search on state records to confirm Shelman as the owner of the black Dodge truck believed to be the suspect’s vehicle. Investigators used an “Automatic License Plate Reader System to locate the vehicle in Heber City and Park City,” according to the Affidavit of Probable Cause.
With the location of the vehicle’s owner confirmed, Lehi investigators, along with the assistance of a Utah Highway Patrol trooper, stopped the suspect’s vehicle on Highway 40 and detained Shelman. According to the affidavit, “Huss was not in the vehicle” at the time of the stop.
Shelman was arrested for retail theft and failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury.
According to Lehi Police, “Huss turned himself in to the Provo Police Department” later that day. Huss faces charges of failure to remain at the scene of an accident involving serious bodily injury and retail theft. According to the affidavit, “Huss currently has a suspended license” and has also been charged with driving on a suspended or revoked license.
“Both Shelman and Huss have been booked into the Utah County Jail,” said Livingston.
“I am very thankful that they have been arrested and want to thank everyone for their support,” said Mott. “The public response was tremendous.”
“Lehi Police are grateful for the information received from members of the public during the investigation. They are also extremely proud of the hard work that the dedicated property crimes detectives put into the case, ultimately locating the female and the truck in the Park City area and then coordinating with other agencies to make the arrest,” said Livingston.
“We are pleased that the victim in this incident was not injured any worse than he was. His injuries are very significant, and we are thankful that he is recovering,” added Livingston.
“A Mad Man’s Hobby” store has been in business since 2004. It is known for offering a wide range of products, including RC cars, airplanes, helicopters, trains and models. They specialize in brands like Traxxas and cater to hobbyists of all levels.
The incident sparked concern among the Lehi community, with many expressing support for Willson and the store on Facebook.
The hobby store has set up a collection for Willson and his family at “A Mad Man’s Hobby.” The family has also created a GoFundMe to help defray Willson’s significant medical expenses.
