ST. GEORGE — Several police officers responded to the area of Rolling Hills Drive and Windsor Drive in St. George late Monday afternoon following a report of a home robbery involving a weapon.

Police were alerted to the incident around 4:40 p.m. when they received “a report of what we believe to be an 18- to 24-year-old male that entered a home, had a confrontation with the homeowner and was able to get away with a little bit of money and took off on foot,” St. George Police Lt. Jordan Minnick said.

The suspect was also reported to have used an unidentified weapon during the incident and also wore a dark-colored mask that obscured his face.

However, the incident doesn’t appear to have become physical, Minnick said, as no injuries were reported.

“It sounds like they just talked and the individual went away,” Minnick said.

Several police officers arrived at the scene and searched the area for the suspect while also checking the immediate area around the targeted home.

One of the neighboring homes, which was unoccupied at the time, had potential warning signs, Minnick said. This resulted in officers arming themselves with rifles as a precaution as they swept the home for the suspect.

“When something like this happens, we want to make sure surrounding homes are also OK,” Minnick said.

The sweep found the house to be empty, and the suspect remains at large at the time of this report.

The robbery itself appears to have been a random act, Minnick said.

“This is very uncommon, of course, but we’re not immune from any crime, especially as we grow,” he said. “This, based on the information we have, seems to be very, very random — very sporadic. No rhyme or reason for it to happen.”

Even though St. George is considered a generally safe community, Minnick echoed what many officers and police agencies in general have said before: remember to keep your homes locked, even if you’re home. If a potential robber can’t get inside, they’re usually not going to waste time and effort trying to get in. Instead, they’ll move on to until they find a more convenient target, such as a home where a garage door has been left open.

Click on photo to enlarge it, then use your left-right arrow keys to cycle through the gallery.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter: @MoriKessler

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2019, all rights reserved.