Man charged with robbery after allegedly grabbing fast food customer’s change; 2nd arrest in 2 days

McDonald's in Cedar City, Utah, Oct. 26, 2021 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — A 27-year-old man who was reportedly traveling through Southern Utah managed to get himself arrested twice in two different counties on successive days.

According to a probable cause statement filed in support of the first arrest, Makoti Moses Fox was arrested by Beaver County Sheriff’s deputies Monday night following a disturbance at a motel in Milford.

In that incident, a maid at the motel had called police shortly after 7:30 p.m. to report that a guest was still there, hours after he was supposed to have checked out of his room. 

The guest, who was identified as Fox, reportedly refused to open the door for officers, who then kicked the door open and placed Fox in handcuffs.

Fox then began “acting strangely,” according to the charging documents. He reportedly told officers he was “coming down” from being high. He also became combative and rolled around on the ground and tried to kick the arresting officer, the statement alleges.

Inside the motel room, officers reportedly found a four-pack of Red Bull energy drinks that had allegedly been stolen from a nearby gas station a short time before the incident. One of the four cans was empty and another had been partially consumed, the charging documents state.

After being evaluated at a local hospital, Fox was later booked at the Beaver County Jail on suspicion of theft and criminal trespassing, both class B misdemeanors, in addition to one count of assault on a peace officer, a class A misdemeanor. The time of the booking is listed on the charging documents as 1:19 a.m. Tuesday.

Fox didn’t stay in Beaver long, as he ultimately met with more trouble later that same day, some 50 miles to the south. 

At approximately 9 p.m. Tuesday inside the McDonald’s restaurant in Cedar City, Fox allegedly grabbed an undetermined amount of cash out of the hand of an employee who was giving change to a customer. He then ran across the street to a convenience store, where police later arrested him, the second probable cause statement indicates.

Even though he was reportedly not armed at the time of the incident, Fox was still booked into Iron County Jail on Tuesday night on suspicion of robbery, a second-degree felony, due to his alleged use of “force and fear” as he took the money. The action also allegedly injured the employee’s hands, causing pain and discomfort, according to the charging documents.

According to the robbery charge that was filed in 5th District Court Thursday morning, Fox is a resident of Spokane, Washington. 

Fox made his initial court appearance Thursday afternoon before 5th District Judge Ann Marie McIff Allen. Prosecutors argued that Fox’s recent pattern of alleged behavior, along with his lack of ties to the area, made him likely to flee and/or commit additional crimes if released. The court agreed and ordered that he be held without bail in the Iron County Jail. His next scheduled court appearance is a status hearing on Nov. 1.

Ed. Note: A new Utah law generally prohibits the release of arrest booking photos until after a conviction is obtained. 

This report is based on statements from court documents and law enforcement officials and may not contain the full scope of findings. Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, 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!