ST. GEORGE – Pioneer West Realty in St. George was robbed at gun-point Friday afternoon.
Police received a report of an armed robbery at Pioneer West Realty, 1240 E 100 South, St. George, around 1:50 p.m.
Cindy Farnsworth, Pioneer West office manager, said a man entered the office and pulled a gun and pointed it right at her demanding money. She gave the man what was in the office and repeatedly told him it was all she had before he finally left.
“I was scared to death that he would do something crazy if I didn’t do what he wanted,” she said.
During the incident that lasted somewhere between four and five minutes, Farnsworth said, she told herself to calm down and get a good look at the robber, which enabled her to provide police with the following description:
The suspect is described as a white male in his 20s, 5 foot 9 inches tall, between 150 and 160 pounds, very thin, and wearing a black hoody and blue jeans. He also had a small Band-Aid on his face.
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After taking an undisclosed amount, the robber fled the scene. Farnsworth called the police immediately after.
Patrick Dunlavy, one of the owners of the Kezos & Dunlavy accounting firm which sits next door to Pioneer West Reality, was returning from lunch when he saw the police in front of the building.
“I came back from lunch and the place was encased in police tape,” he said. He said his business and Pioneer West typically didn’t keep money on the premises, and speculated that whoever robbed the business may already be familiar with it.
Bryan Wilson, property manager at Pioneer West, said the same. With it being the beginning of the month, someone may have known that rent had been paid. After this incident, he said the business would no longer be accepting cash payments.
“It’s probably a fluke situation, but we need to be prepared,” Wilson said.
Capt. James Van Fleet of the St. George Department was on scene and said it was unknown whether or not the robber got into a car or slipped into a nearby business or home. For the time being, the police are reviewing security footage from neighboring businesses for signs of the suspect.
UPDATED at 3:54 p.m. per interview with Cindy Farnsworth.
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