Married couple charged with burglary in St. George, Virgin

ST. GEORGE — A married St. George couple was arrested Monday for drug possession and multiple counts of burglary in St. George and Virgin.

Officers responded to a residence on a burglary call, St. George Police Officer Trevor Anderson said in a probable cause statement supporting the arrest. Once on scene, a resident told officers that Andrew Guerrero was knocking on his front door while another man attempted to force his way through the back.

Andrew Guerrero booking photo posted Oct. 27, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff's Office, St. George News
Andrew Guerrero, of St. George, booking photo posted Oct. 27, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

“The (resident) went downstairs to get his gun as the suspect was trying to come through the back door,” Anderson said in the statement, “and came back upstairs to discover the suspect in his home.”

The alleged burglar ran out the backdoor and hopped a fence while Andrew Guerrero entered a vehicle and fled the scene, Anderson said. Officers located the vehicle with Andrew Guerrero inside, along with his wife Amelia Guerrero.

Upon further investigation, officers discovered both suspects in the vehicle had warrants and were placed under arrest, Anderson said in the statement. While searching the vehicle, officers found a black pouch with a glass pipe containing suspected methamphetamine, a white container holding foil and a plastic pipe and a purse containing a plastic pipe with burnt residue.

“Amelia (Guerrero) stated the purse was not hers, but she shares the purse with a friend,” Anderson said in the statement.

Officers also found two pry bars along with other tools believed to be used in burglaries, Anderson said. There were also bags in the vehicle containing identification documents that did not belong to either of the occupants.

The identity of the other male involved with the burglary is unknown, Anderson said in the statement. Both suspects were arrested and transported to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility.

Following Andrew Guerrero’s arrest, officer Garen Brecke of the Springdale City Police Department, contacted SGPD regarding another burglary where Andrew Guerrero was believed to be involved.

On Oct. 15, Brecke was called to the scene of a burglary in Virgin where a young girl ran into a man exiting her family’s home, Brecke said in a probable cause statement supporting the additional charges. The man was carrying several items from inside the home and ran to a car driven by a woman and fled the scene.

During an investigation of the surrounding area, officers discovered a motorcycle laying in the bushes a half-mile away from the home, Brecke said in the statement. The owner of the motorcycle told officers he believed Andrew Guerrero had stolen it from his home. The owner also said Andrew Guerrero was married to his daughter, Amelia Guerrero, and that he had been stealing from his property.

“I showed a photo of Andrew to (the young girl) and she said she was pretty sure that was the male that had exited her parent’s house,” Brecke said in the statement.

Shoe prints with the word “Jordan” in the heal area were also discovered in both areas in Virgin, Brecke said in the statement. Brecke sent a photo of the prints to SGPD and they appear to match the shoes worn by Andrew Guerrero.

This kind of cooperation between two separate police departments is quite common, St. George Police Sgt. Sam Despain said. Criminals often do not care about boarders and jurisdictions, so they commit crime all over, he said.

Because criminals do not operate within a specific area, Despain said it is important for all agencies to work together. This helps them recognize when a suspect has been caught and allows additional charges to be filed.

Anderson was able to contact a person in the Las Vegas area who owned some of the property found in Andrew Guerrero’s possession, Anderson said in the statement. The items included a camera, jewelry and checks.

Amelia Guerrero's booking photo posted Oct. 27, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff's Office, St. George News
Amelia Guerrero, of St. George, booking photo posted Oct. 27, 2014 | Photo courtesy of Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

Andrew Guerrero was arrested and charged with five third-degree felonies for burglary of a non-dwelling, possession of drugs, receiving stolen property, possession of identification documents, and a previous warrant; two second-degree felonies for theft, burglary of a dwelling, and a previous warrant; two class B misdemeanors for possession of burglary tools and drug paraphernalia; and a class A misdemeanor for a previous warrant.

Amelia Guerrero was arrested and charged with three third-degree felonies for receiving stolen property, drug possession and possession of identification documents; one second-degree felony for burglary of a dwelling; and three class B misdemeanors for possession of burglary tools, possession of drug paraphernalia and a previous warrant.

Andrew Guerrero’s bail is set at $81,174 cash or bond. Amelia Guerrero’s bail is set at $28,674 cash or bond.

Persons arrested or charged are presumed innocent until found guilty in a court of law or as otherwise decided by a trier-of-fact.

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12 Comments

  • My Evil Twin October 29, 2014 at 5:14 pm

    Too bad the resident had to go downstairs to retrieve his weapon. He should have been carrying it on him. Yeah, even at home.

    • PROTECT THE SHEEP October 29, 2014 at 9:48 pm

      Is ur daddy Rambo?… or what’s it like to be scared all the time?

      • sleepy hallow October 30, 2014 at 10:43 am

        Hey PROTECT THE SHEEP……what else do you do with your sheep besides protect them? We’ve been hearing some strange and deranged stuff about men and their/or other peoples sheep in these parts. Hope you get some help soon, Oh, and by the way, don’t let me catch you near my horses.

    • Zonkerb November 21, 2014 at 12:28 pm

      Yeah like someone could possibly care what you think evil twit

  • Dana October 29, 2014 at 5:15 pm

    Bonnie and Clyde wannabes.

  • Zonkerb October 29, 2014 at 6:47 pm

    The charges would of been worse if they were caught dancing on private property

  • Mean Momma October 29, 2014 at 11:06 pm

    She shares her purse with a friend….. That’s the best thing I’ve heard all day! I love addict excuses

    • Koolaid October 30, 2014 at 11:27 am

      I can’t imagine the things they have in the purse they’d share. That could get icky. If they were that desperate for money, then someone should have a fundraiser on their behalf, maybe a dance party.

  • Bdub October 30, 2014 at 8:56 am

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHA @ the dancing comment! That’s the best.

  • sagemoon October 30, 2014 at 10:55 am

    Scum bag tweekers.

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