ST. GEORGE — A Washington City man has been arrested and is facing a first-degree felony charge for his suspected involvement in an aggravated robbery Tuesday morning at a St. George apartment where seven suspects allegedly used a gun to rob and assault a man inside.
At approximately 9 a.m. Tuesday, two men called police to report an aggravated robbery that had just occurred at Black Hills Apartments located at 454 N. Valley View Drive, according to a probable cause statement filed by the St. George Police Department in support of the arrest.
The two men had reportedly been sleeping at the apartment, belonging to their friend’s girlfriend, when four male suspects and three female suspects allegedly unlocked the front door and entered the apartment, the arresting detective wrote in a sworn statement.
One of the men told authorities that one of the male suspects pointed a gun at him and demanded his money, wallet and cellphone, the detective stated.
One of the male suspects allegedly hit one of the men in the face with the gun before leaving, according to the statement. When the suspects left, the two men fled the apartment and called police from a friend’s house.
During an investigation into the incident, officers learned 30-year-old William Blake Davis, of Washington City, had rented a room in Mesquite, Nevada, where numerous individuals stayed – including the two men’s friend and his girlfriend, the detective stated.
Detectives conducted a photo lineup with the two men, the report stated, and they both identified Davis as one of the male suspects present when the aggravated robbery occurred.
Davis was arrested on an outstanding warrant Tuesday afternoon and was booked into the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility where detectives interviewed him Wednesday.
“William confirmed he had rented a room in Mesquite for a friend and had come up to St. George with several of his brother’s friends and (had) seen (the two men),” the detective wrote in the statement. “However, William said he had left with a friend before anything happened.”
According to the detective’s statement, because the two men identified Davis in the lineup and Davis had admitted to renting the room in Mesquite and being at the St. George apartment, a felony charge was added to Davis’ booking.
The Washington County Attorney’s Office filed an information in 5th District Court accusing Davis of first-degree felony aggravated robbery.
In Utah, a first-degree felony charge carries a penalty of five years to life in prison and up to a $10,000 fine.
Davis appeared before 5th District Judge John J. Walton Friday for his initial court appearance. Walton ordered $10,000 bail for Davis’ release pending trial.
Davis was found indigent by the court and was appointed attorney Ariel Taylor to represent him. He is scheduled to make his next appearance in court April 25.
As this report is published, the investigation into the incident is ongoing.
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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William Blake Davis, of Washington City, Utah, booking photo posted April 14, 2016 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News
St. George Police are investigating an alleged aggravated robbery that occurred at Black Hills Apartments, 454 N. Valley View Drive, St. George, Utah, April 12, 2016 | Photo by Mike Cole, St. George News
St. George Police are investigating an alleged aggravated robbery that occurred at Black Hills Apartments, 454 N. Valley View Drive, St. George, Utah, April 12, 2016 | Photo by Mike Cole, St. George News
St. George Police are investigating an alleged aggravated robbery that occurred at Black Hills Apartments, 454 N. Valley View Drive, St. George, Utah, April 12, 2016 | Photo by Mike Cole, St. George News
St. George Police interviewing witnesses of an alleged aggravated robbery, St. George, Utah, April 12, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
St. George Police interviewed witnesses of an alleged aggravated robbery that occurred at Black Hills Apartments, 454 N. Valley View Drive, St. George, Utah, April 12, 2016 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2016, all rights reserved.
It seems like the RealMcStupids friends need to make better friends. don’t worry about it just work on YORE Grammer and HAVE a nice day tough guy ! oh btw LOL !
These guys are committing felonies, dotboy. That’s more in YOUR neck of the woods. YOU’RE going to have to try harder to HAVE the upper hand.
Keep smiling, sunshine!
OK , I’m officially confused . . . so there is an indigent guy who has an apartment in Washington AND
has the money to rent places in Nevada for friends
And there is some kind of landlord that rents out rooms where large numbers of guys crash in the same room ?
And somehow having this room in Nevada led to an arrest related to the burglary And
The guys who were robbed also have dealings with this other group sleeping room ?
Think some of my brain cells just imploded . . . need some R&R now .
Haha. It is a tangled web