LOGAN — A 36-year-old man with a lengthy criminal history has been sentenced for breaking into a school building last summer. Christopher Lyndon Thurston was originally arrested by law enforcement after barricading himself inside an office.
According to court records, Thurston appeared January 20 in Logan’s 1st District Court. He accepted a plea deal, pleading guilty to burglary, property damage, and possession or use of a controlled substance, all third-degree felonies. As part of the resolution, four remaining charges were dismissed.
On June 12, 2025, Logan City Police officers responded to a report of an unauthorized individual who had entered Hillcrest Elementary School, 1475 E. 900 North, around 8:35 a.m. Additional units from the USU Police Department and Cache County Sheriff’s Office were also dispatched to the break-in.
As law enforcement arrived on scene, they set up a perimeter and attempted to make contact with the individual, later identified as Thurston. He attempted to avoid contact by accessing the school roof.
Officers were eventually able to engage Thurston and safely take him into custody.
The school was not in session and no specific events were occurring at the time of the incident.
During the January 20 court hearing, Judge Angela Fonnesbeck sentenced Thurston to a term of 240 days, giving credit for time already served.
According to court records, Thurston has multiple convictions for burglary, theft and other charges in Salt Lake, Farmington and Manti. He is currently in prison, serving a term of zero to five years, for an unrelated case.