ST. GEORGE — Police in Washington City and St. George are investigating similar burglaries that occurred near separate Interstate 15 exits early Thursday.

Malibu Cleaners on Red Cliffs Drive near the Green Springs/Exit 10 interchange was broken into around 2:40 a.m., according to McKenzie Spafford, who posted photos taken from security cameras to Facebook later that day.

Two individuals believed by police to be adult males shattered the glass of a side door in order to enter the building, Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams said.

Once inside, Spafford told St. George News the two were there for a short time and “damaged quite a few things within the facility, including the coin hopper in the laundromat.”

The thieves got away with an undisclosed amount of money, but not before their images were picked up by surveillance cameras inside.

Spafford noted Malibu Cleaners is a family business that has operated in Southern Utah for many years. Thursday morning’s burglary has been difficult for the family and employees, she said.

This has been really hard not only on our family, but on our employees. When we arrived to the facility on Thursday morning and the glass door shattered, our hearts dropped. It’s hard to not feel violated when you see the amount of damage that these perpetrators have done and the amount of things they stole from us. We are just thankful that no one was in our facility at the time they broke in. We are also thankful for the officers and detective at Washington City Police Department that took care of us on Thursday morning and continue to take care of throughout this process.

Williams said he doesn’t believe the burglars were local because the crime took place close to the Green Springs/Exit 10 interchange where someone could easily slip on and off Interstate 15.

He also said he wouldn’t be surprised if a similar burglary that occurred at a pizza shop in Bloomington was connected to the Malibu Cleaners burglary.

St. George Police officers were called to Hungry Howie’s near the Brigham Road/Exit 4 interchange around 8:30 a.m. Thursday, St. George Police officer Tiffany Atkin said.

In this case, a window was broken out, causing around $200 in damages, but nothing appeared to be missing, she said.

So far there are no suspects in the St. George case, and no official connection between the St. George and Washington City burglaries has been made.

Anyone with information related to the Malibu Cleaners burglary is encouraged to contact the Washington City Police Department. Anyone with information regarding the Hungry Howie’s burglary should contact the St. George Police Department.

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