Felony Obstruction Charge Dismissed Against Cedar City Woman; Related Case Also Dropped2 min read

By Tracie Sullivan, For Iron County Today

Court records show a felony obstruction of justice charge against a Cedar City woman has been dismissed.

Shayla Vanderpool, 40, of Cedar City, was charged earlier this year with obstruction of justice in connection with a broader criminal investigation.

Court records show Vanderpool was accused of hindering an investigation tied to serious allegations against another defendant. Prosecutors did not publicly detail the actions that led to the charge, and Vanderpool was issued a summons rather than arrested.

The dismissal comes as charges in the related case were also dismissed last August against Kacey D. Zufelt, 34, of Cedar City.

Zufelt was arrested in January following an investigation launched in spring 2024 after the Iron County Sheriff’s Office received a report from the Utah Division of Child and Family Services.

According to charging documents, a juvenile had alleged prolonged sexual abuse over several years. Detectives also cited the seizure of electronic devices that appeared to have been erased or tampered with shortly before being collected.

Prosecutors requested an arrest warrant based on those allegations, and Zufelt was charged with two counts of rape and one count of aggravated sexual abuse of a child, all first-degree felonies. He was also charged separately with obstruction of justice related to the alleged destruction of evidence.

The alleged victim later submitted a voluntary witness statement recanting earlier allegations, saying they were made under duress. In the statement, the witness said she was threatened by her then-boyfriend and feared harm to her family.

“I said all of that because of the threats I was getting and the threats towards my family,” the witness wrote in a follow-up statement dated July 29, 2025.

The witness clarified that the term “molest” used earlier reflected confusion and fear at the time, adding that “nothing ever happened” with Zufelt.

During a scheduling conference in August, prosecutors informed the court of a “change of circumstance” and moved to dismiss the remaining charges against Zufelt without prejudice. Judge Meb Anderson granted the motion.

Because the dismissals were entered without prejudice, charges could be refiled if new evidence emerges. No future hearings are currently scheduled, and neither defendant remains in custody.