Investigators in Washington County have issued an arrest warrant for a man currently in custody on other charges in Las Vegas, NV. The string of alleged crimes started on May 1st, 2022, in St. George.

St. George PD Officers responded to several incidents determined to involve the same suspect. The incident began in the Little Valley area and involved a suspect backing into a driveway and attempting to hook up to a trailer in what appeared to be an effort to steal it. The suspect was captured on a residential security video, and did not steal the trailer due to a hitch lock. Officers also responded to a reported theft from a work site in the same area.

Officers located the suspect vehicle in the area of Sunset Blvd. and determined it was the same vehicle involved in the attempted trailer theft. The vehicle was found to have been reported stolen through the Unified Police Department of Greater Salt Lake.

Officers attempted to stop the suspect vehicle and it fled, driving recklessly at high speeds and going into oncoming traffic. Officers terminated the pursuit in the interest of public safety. About 12 minutes later, officers received a report that a matching vehicle had crashed in the Bloomington area. Officers responded and located the suspect vehicle, unoccupied.

Officers learned from witnesses that prior to becoming disabled, the suspect vehicle had driven through residential yards, on trails, collided with a parked ATV, and even ran over one witness’ foot causing minor injuries.

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On further investigation, it was discovered that another vehicle had been stolen close to where the first vehicle crashed. It was believed the suspect stole the other vehicle and fled the area prior to officers arriving and it was not located.

Through investigative efforts, the primary suspect was identified as Michael Chase Montgomery. While detectives were conducting follow up in this incident, Montgomery was arrested on unrelated charges in Las Vegas, Nevada. Detectives obtained an arrest warrant based on Michael’s incarceration out of the area.

The St. George Police Department would like to use this event to remind everyone to be security minded.  Don’t leave keys in vehicles, and keep vehicles locked to prevent theft.
Keep property secure, a hitch lock was a key feature in preventing the theft of a trailer in this case.

Consider investing in security cameras. Having images or video of suspects and vehicles aids greatly in identification efforts by law enforcement.

Story & Photos: Courtesy St George Police Facebook page.

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