ST. GEORGE — What could have been the third successful burglary at a Washington City pharmacy in less than a month was interrupted early Sunday morning, resulting in the arrest of a California man. Two possible accomplices remain at large.
Officers were dispatched to Stucki Family Pharmacy on West Telegraph Street at approximately 2:45 a.m. after an alarm was activated inside the store, Washington City Police spokesman Ed Kantor said.
Two officers were in the area when the call went out, Kantor said, and were able to respond to the business quickly.
When they arrived, one officer approached the front of the business while the second officer made his way to an exit door behind the building. The first officer noticed that the front entrance door was damaged and appeared to have been pried open.
The officer approached the entrance and saw movement inside of the store. Seconds later, he heard a commotion coming from behind the store, where the second officer had intercepted a suspect as he attempted to run out of the store through the rear exit. A struggle ensued, which caused the first officer to run around the outside of the building to assist.
The suspect was later identified as 27-year-old Lashaun Montrey Kelly of Long Beach, California.
Kelly continued to resist until one of the officers deployed his Taser, Kantor said, and the man was safely taken into police custody without further incident.
Police believe two other possible suspects fled the store through the front entrance while officers were busy apprehending Kelly, Kantor said.
“We believe there were three suspects in the store, but we know that one was apprehended while attempting to flee,” he said, “and we will know more later as the investigation continues.”
Officers from various agencies were dispatched to the area, and once on scene, a perimeter was set up surrounding the pharmacy and officers began searching for Kelly’s possible accomplices.
The search continued for several hours, during which officers located a passenger car in close proximity to the pharmacy that was reported stolen out of California, Kantor said, and which is believed to have been used by the suspects.
Nothing was taken from the pharmacy since the alleged burglary was interrupted by police, and initial losses are confined to the business’s entrance doors that were damaged during the incident.
Stucki Family Pharmacy recently implemented enhanced security measures after a burglary was reported Aug. 16.
Read more: Police ask public’s help identifying 3 suspects in alleged pharmacy burglary in Washington City
During that incident, three individuals entered the store by forcing open the entrance, allegedly taking prescription medication and cash, then fleeing the store.
The store was broken into again on Sept. 3.
Read more: Washington City pharmacy hit twice in 3 weeks; police seek public’s help
While second incident was almost identical to the first, Laura Stucki told St. George News that the store’s security program and systems had been enhanced after the August burglary, a move that proved effective with minimal loss reported in the second break-in.
“The losses were far less this time,” she said.
Kantor also said that the enhanced security measures implemented by the business owners helped to reduce losses further.
Kelly was checked by EMTs at the scene and cleared before being transported and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility.
“That is our policy, as with any Taser deployment to make sure they are checked by EMTs and any related medical needs are assessed,” Kantor said.
Kelly is facing one second-degree felony count of possessing or receiving a stolen vehicle, a third-degree felony count of burglary of a nondwelling and a third-degree felony criminal mischief, $1,500 to $5,000.
He also faces one class A misdemeanor count of failing to stop at an officer’s command, one class B misdemeanor count of interfering with arrest and one class B misdemeanor count of possession of paraphernalia.
As the investigation continues, detectives are looking at similarities between the three cases to determine if they were connected, and with the ongoing investigation, Kantor reiterated that information contained in this report is preliminary only.
Bail in the amount of $36,620 has been set and includes all counts. Kelly remains in custody at the writing of this report.
Washington City Police Department and Washington City Ambulance responded to the incident, and more than 15 patrol units from the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, Hurricane Police Department and St. George Police Department responded to assist.
This report is based on statements from police or other emergency responders 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.
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Twitter: @STGnews
Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2017, all rights reserved.
Bail is too low. I’m sure that if he is not already gone, he will be bailed out tonight, never to be seen again in St. George, but continuing to steal.
This poor poor man, he’s obviously a victim of a racist white supremist society! We aren’t doing enough in the name of equality! The racist cops should admit they racially profiled this poor innocent man and release him immediately!
jk. good job coppers. hope u boys get the rest of the cali slime
Only a racist would make a statement like that. The guy looks like hes on meth. You should know.
Well it looks like they caught the one who was doing it all along. Good work washington p.d thank you for your service. Im guessing that the suspect was hunting for the cotton in the prescription bottles!
Glad to hear these folks finally decided to beef up their security measures, although when a guy dresses like Kenny on Southpark, with his hoodie pulled tight around his face, the cameras can only do so much.
Thanks Washington City PD.
Perp in photo appears to be robot.
What is he doing in St. George? Did you have a lead on his peeps?? Good job!