Homeowner awakens to find stranger trying to pull adult son from bed in Santa Clara

Santa Clara-Ivins Police vehicle, location unspecified, July 11, 2018 | File photo courtesy of the Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A 24-year-old Washington City woman was arrested Saturday after a homeowner reportedly awoke to find her in their adult son’s bedroom in the middle of the night (see ed. note).

Shortly before 4 a.m. Saturday, officers responded to a residence off of Santa Clara Drive on what was initially called in as a burglary of a residence, according to charging documents filed with the courts.

Officers arrived to find the suspect, Reshana Barlow, walking east along Santa Clara Drive near the residence of the reporting party. The suspect appeared to be unsteady on her feet and smelled strongly of alcohol, according to the report.

In the meantime, officers spoke to the homeowner who said the suspect walked into the residence through a garage door and was found in the bedroom of their 20-year-old son. The homeowner found the suspect attempting to wake the son by pulling on his arm, which is when the resident told Barlow to leave.

The homeowner also told police the suspect refused to leave and became verbally aggressive as she proceeded to yell and swear at the parents.

Reshana Leigh Barlow, 24, of Washington City, booking photo taken in Washington County, Utah, June 19, 2020 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

At that point, the homeowners “were able to escort” Barlow out of the residence and call police. The homeowner then got into his vehicle and began to follow the suspect until officers arrived.

Santa Clara-Ivins Police Sgt. Reed Briggs told St. George News the homeowners were sound asleep and were awakened by the commotion going on in the bedroom. When they entered the room, they allegedly found Barlow pulling on their son’s arm, and when she started fighting, the parents had to drag her out of the house.

Briggs said the homeowners “had no idea who she was. They had absolutely no clue who this woman was.”

When officers found the suspect walking, Briggs said they stopped her near Dutchman’s Market. She allegedly began fighting with the officers attempting to detain her. But, after the handcuffs were secured, “she was done and it was over, so she went peacefully,” he said.

He went on to say it could have been much worse for the suspect, all things considered, with a homeowner who was awakened out of “a dead sleep” to find a stranger in their son’s bedroom.

“Lucky for her, she went to jail,” Briggs said.

She was booked into jail on second-degree felony burglary, as well as two misdemeanor counts for resisting arrest and failing to stop at an officer’s command. She was also cited for public intoxication and disorderly conduct.

Once the case was reviewed by the Washington County Attorney’s Office Monday, instead of charging Barlow with second-degree burglary, she was charged with misdemeanor criminal trespass, while all other charges submitted remained intact at filing.

The suspect was released from jail following the arrest.

Ed. note: On first publish, this report referred to the homeowner’s son as a child, as was described in the police report. Briggs has since clarified to St. George News that the son is an adult male, and the report has been revised accordingly.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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