SWAT officers find man suspected in string of crimes hiding on roof of home in Hurricane

File photo for illustrative purposes of tactical officers with Washington County Metro SWAT during standoff in Washington City, Utah, March 16, 2021 | Photo by Rich Allen, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — The primary suspect in a string of active theft investigations across Washington County was arrested after SWAT officers found him hiding on the roof of a Hurricane residence early Tuesday morning.

2020 file photo used for illustrative purposes only of Washington County Metro SWAT, Leeds, Utah, June 26, 2020 | Photo by Ron Chaffin, St. George News

On Tuesday, 38-year-old Boyd Paul Brooke was found hiding on the roof of a residence in Hurricane by a SWAT agent shortly before 6 a.m. after he allegedly dumped a motorcycle that was later identified as stolen in the Lava Bluffs area in Hurricane, according to charging documents filed in support of the arrest.

The incident began Monday night when officers observed a motorcycle parked in the driveway of a residence that Brooke is known to frequent, and authorities noted the bike had an expired license plate. Parked next to the bike was an Infiniti passenger car.

Officers were on the lookout for Brooke as a person of interest and they wanted to speak to him regarding a number of unsolved cases in Washington County that were still under investigation.

When both vehicles left the Lava Bluff area at the same time, officers recognized the motorcycle rider as Brooke and both vehicles turned onto State Street heading east with the Infiniti trailing behind.

When the vehicles turned onto 3400 West to head north, the motorcycle took off at a high rate of speed while officers following the Infiniti noticed items being thrown from the passenger’s side of the vehicle, the report states. As soon as the Infiniti came to a stop at the convenience store on the corner of State Street and 3400 West, both suspects jumped out of the car and fled on foot.

The passenger, later identified as 43-year-old Joseph Vernon English, was quickly apprehended, while the Infiniti driver was still at large. During a search of the suspect, officers reportedly found a bag containing suspected marijuana and a second bag that contained cleaning tools for a firearm.

The report also states that during a search of the immediate area for any items thrown from the car, officers recovered a black bag and inside they found a Glock .380 handgun. English was arrested and transported to jail.

Officers processing the scène at the convenience store were then notified of a call that came into emergency dispatch reporting that a motorcycle had just pulled into Zions Gate RV Park with its engine turned off as it coasted silently into the park. The caller also reported that the rider then dumped the bike and was seen leaving the area on foot.

When officers recovered the bike, they discovered that the VIN number did not match the license plate and a records check later revealed it was stolen. The bike was then impounded by police.

Map of Lava Bluff area where suspect was found hiding on the roof of a residence in Hurricane, Utah | Image courtesy of Google Maps, St. George News

With English in custody and at least one more suspect still at large, officers returned to the Lava Bluff Mobile Home Park, the area where both vehicles had been parked hours earlier, and set up a containment area while Washington County Metro SWAT was called in to assist in the search for the motorcycle rider, later identified as Brooke.

The search went on for more than an hour before the suspect was located by several tactical SWAT officers who found him hiding on the roof of a home inside of the park. While speaking to police, the report states, the suspect denied being the rider on the motorcycle. He also reportedly told police there was another individual riding the bike and provided officers with the man’s name.

Police say Brooke also provided the name of the Infiniti driver, which did not match the name of the suspect  officers arrested earlier at the convenience store.

During a search of the suspect prior to being transported, SWAT officers recovered a container of what appeared to be marijuana wax, several pipes and a number Harley Davidson keys, the report states. Brooke was then arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility where he was questioned on multiple cases with active investigations being pursued across the county.

The officer also noted that Brooke “has a history of evading and was found hiding after numerous announcements from officers to surrender,” in the request for the suspect to be held without bail.

Later that same morning, police officers in Hurricane served a search warrant on Brooke’s residence where they recovered a number of items in the suspect’s bedroom that were reported as stolen during a vehicle burglary on March 13. More than $2,850 worth of items taken during the vehicle burglary was recovered from the suspect’s bedroom by police, the report states.

In the backyard, officers found a large black container that contained more than 80 items of clothing imprinted with a logo, items that were reported as stolen from a yoga studio in St. George. Additional clothing items were also recovered from Brooke’s bedroom that belonged to the studio as well. The value of the items allegedly stolen from the studio totaled nearly $6,000.

In another case filed in April, officers were dispatched to follow-up on a theft report in Hurricane where multiple items, including two electronic bicycles, had been reported as stolen while the homeowner was on vacation, according to charging documents filed with the court. The total value of the property reportedly taken came to $14,100.

During the search of the suspect’s residence on Monday, two of the items taken during the burglary had a combined value of $2,750 were recovered by police.

In addition, the officer noted that Brooke has multiple theft convictions and a criminal history spanning more than two decades.

Brooke was booked into jail facing multiple charges from Monday’s incident, including second-degree felony theft by receiving and three misdemeanors – possession of marijuana and paraphernalia as well as a vehicle registration charge.

Following the search of the suspect’s residence and the recovery of the property, four charges were added – two second-degree felony counts of theft by receiving stolen property and two third-degree felony counts of the same charge.

English, the passenger in the Infiniti who was arrested hours earlier, was booked into jail facing one count each of second-degree felony possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and a third-degree felony charge of obstruction of justice. He also faces three misdemeanor charges including failing to stop at the command of law enforcement and possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.

Ed. Note: A new Utah law generally prohibits the release of arrest booking photos until after a conviction is obtained. 

This report is based on statements from court records, police or other 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.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2021, all rights reserved.

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