String of business burglaries hits St. George, 5 in 5 days

Stock image | St. George News

 

ST. GEORGE – A string of five business burglaries in five days is keeping St. George Police officers busy, and residents are being urged to keep their eyes open.

A business at the Morningside Professional Plaza was burglarized Thursday night, the latest in a string of business burglaries that have occurred this week in St. George, Utah, March 11, 2016 | Photo by Julie Applegate
A business at the Morningside Professional Plaza was burglarized Thursday night, the latest in a string of business burglaries that have occurred this week, St. George, Utah, March 11, 2016 | Photo by Julie Applegate

“If they see any suspicious activities or suspicious people in areas that they normally don’t see them, definitely give us a call and let us know,” St. George Police Officer Vincent Lusk said.

Early Thursday morning, the front door of Iggy’s Sports Grill was ripped off its hinges in what police believe was an attempt to access an ATM machine inside the restaurant.

Read more: Burglar rips down Iggy’s door trying to access ATM machine

Thursday at 10:26 p.m. police received another call of an apparent break-in at the Morningside Professional Plaza, 640 E. 700 South. Officers responded after a parent called to say children heard a window break and saw someone inside the building with a flashlight.

Nine officers responded because a suspect could be inside the building. It takes two to four officers to safely clear a building, Lusk said, and officers are also needed outside to contain the scene.

Several officers searched the building and found a broken window in Suite No. 103, the offices of InsideOut Center for Advanced Medicine. Upon investigation, it was found that $200 had been taken from a small cash box, Lusk said.

No one was found in the building and no arrests were made. St. George Police detectives also responded and the incident is under investigation.

Three business burglaries reported Wednesday were all discovered by employees arriving at work. The first was reported at 9:31 a.m. by employees of Ahi’s Taste of Asia, 141 Brigham Road.

“They had damaged doors with forcible entry,” Lusk said. Approximately $500 was taken from a small safe and some cash drawers. The incident is under investigation.

At 9:47 a.m., another burglary was reported by employees at the Red Lion Hotel at 850 S. Bluff Street.

When officers responded, they found that a machine that dispensed laundry soap had been damaged and approximately $30 taken. Employees led police to a room where possible suspects were staying.

Three men ranging in age from 22 to 33 were arrested on charges including possession of controlled substances, possession of paraphernalia and outstanding warrants.

The third burglary reported Wednesday was called in at 10:59 a.m. at Lee’s Antiques, 141 Brigham Road. An employee called police after finding a window broken and items missing. Cash and numerous items valued at $5,100 were stolen.

It is not known whether the burglaries are related, Lusk said, however business owners should take measures to reduce their chances of being burglarized.

“Obviously, we would love that everyone have surveillance cameras because not all businesses do,” Lusk said. “Obviously light deters people, so if you can keep a business light on that might help as well.”

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @STGnews

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.

 

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!

3 Comments

  • Bowlinggreen123 March 11, 2016 at 8:02 pm

    Cool. I think I’ll grab a few buddies and start cruising around town late. A double tap is coming you thieves.

  • RealMcCoy March 12, 2016 at 11:07 am

    Maybe they should ask each of these businesses if they have recently been contacted my a ‘security alarm business’. What better way to scope a place out and select the places with no security alarms than to act like a rep for a security company. You get access to the building and know exactly who does and does not already have a system in place, and if they decline your service, you know they don’t have anything to stop you.

  • .... March 12, 2016 at 5:40 pm

    Oh well duhhhhhh !

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.