ST. GEORGE, Utah, Feb. 20, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A routine suspicious behavior call in a St. George shopping center parking lot turned up a suspect wanted for murder in Colorado.
The drama began when officers with the St. George Police Department responded to the parking lot of the Bloomington Walmart on a report of a suspicious white van and a black Cadillac SUV. “The reporting person (RP) requested officers investigate possible drug use going on inside the vehicles,” according to an SGPD Tuesday night press release.
Officers located both vehicles parked next to each other as described by the RP, police said. The black SUV drove away before contact could be made.
Officers were able to contact a male and female inside the white van. Shortly after, a second male walked up and began to get in the van. All three were detained due to the smell of marijuana coming from the van.
The “second male” proved the most suspicious, police said, providing multiple false names and birth dates as officers attempted to identify the suspects.
Paperwork was eventually found inside the van that positively identified the male. “Officers were advised by dispatch that this male had a warrant for his arrest out of Colorado for homicide. During the search of his person, multiple knives and drug paraphernalia were located on him.”
“This case,” the SGPD said, “is a shining example of why it’s important to call police when you see suspicious activity, We want to thank you for caring enough to make that call.”
All three subjects were safely taken into custody in the Monday night incident. The driver of the black SUV is still at large. The arrested individuals were involved in multiple vehicle burglaries in Nevada and attempting to use the stolen credit cards here in Utah.
All three were booked into the Washington County Jail on multiple counts of suspicion of possession of other peoples’ credit cards and IDs, plus drug possession and paraphernalia charges and a weapons count plus providing false information to a police officer for the murder suspect.
