ST. GEORGE — A man was arrested Monday afternoon after a day of allegedly trespassing and burglarizing homes and cars. He later reportedly told police he had marked the places he’d been to with skunk spray so officers would find him.
Police responded to reports of a man, later identified as 30-year-old Brayden Brooks, breaking into homes, stealing things and making strange comments to homeowners, St. George Police officer Tiffany Atkin said.
One man whose home was broken into said that he was sleeping when he woke to find Brooks in his room. Brooks reportedly told the man that he was sent by God, according to the police probable cause statement.
Responding officers saw Brooks in the parking lot of the housing complex and told him to stop. Instead of stopping he ran away, jumping over two fences. Police were able to identify the man as Brooks.
Police created a perimeter around the area where they suspected he was, then made their way inward. Brooks was located in the area of 100 N. 1210 West.
He resisted arrest by pulling his arms away when police tried to handcuff him, trying to walk away from officers and refusing to put his feet in the police car, according to the statement.
Police found a grocery bag of items in Brooks’ possession that contained vehicle registration and a debit card, neither of which were his. Police contacted the owner of the items who said they were stolen out of her vehicle parked in front of her home.
Brooks admitted to stealing the items and agreed to cooperate with the police investigation, according to the statement. He showed police the houses he had broken into, and admitted that the clothes and shoes he was wearing had been stolen from one of the houses. He also took the homeowner’s ID, two flash drives and a garage door opener.
Brooks told police that when he stole clothes from the house, he left his old clothes behind. When officers retrieved his clothes, they found a needle in the pocket of his pants.
The victim whose vehicle was burglarized reported that skunk spray had been sprayed inside the vehicle, and a key that did not belong to them was shoved into the ignition.
Another homeowner in the area reported that skunk spray had been sprayed inside his house by the back door.
Brooks said that he had marked the areas that he had been to with the skunk spray in order for police to find him, and that he had covered himself with the spray as well to protect himself, according to police.
Earlier in the day, family members had reported to police that Brooks was saying things to them on the phone that didn’t make sense. An officer on the crisis negotiation team who was able to speak with Brooks on the phone that morning determined that he was experiencing some delusions, Atkin said.
“He has some mental health issues, coupled with possible drug use,” Atkin said.
Brooks was given medical clearance from Dixie Regional Medical Center for his possible mental health issues before being taken to the St. George Police Department.
Brooks was charged with second-degree felony of burglary of a dwelling, third-degree felony of unlawful acquisition of a financial transaction charge, seven class A misdemeanors for two counts of criminal trespass, unlawful possession of another’s identification documents, two counts of theft, burglary of a vehicle and failure to stop at the command of a law enforcement officer. He was also charged with four class B misdemeanors for two counts of criminal mischief, interference with an arresting officer and possession of drug paraphernalia.
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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