Suspect arrested for allegedly breaking into Washington City residence naked in middle of night

2020 file photo of police vehicles at the scene of a single-vehicle crash on Interstate 15 near Exit 40, Washington County, Utah, Nov. 2, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News/ Cedar City News

ST. GEORGE — A man was arrested Monday after officers found him naked and allegedly saying that he “was looking for a woman to have sex with,” after he entered a home in Washington City in the middle of the night, according to authorities.

File photo for illustrative purposes only of officers responding to the intersection of N. Green Springs Drive and Buena Vista Boulevard Wednesday night, Washington City, Utah Feb. 22, 2017 | File photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

On Monday, officers were dispatched to a residential burglary reported shortly before 3 a.m. when a resident called 911 reporting that a suspect was inside his home.

According to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest, the caller also told emergency dispatch he had retrieved his firearm while he waited for police to respond. The caller also told officers the suspect had allegedly entered the residence by climbing through the doggy door and was still inside the home.

Police arrived and found the suspect, later identified as 37-year-old Craig Balubar, sitting on the floor in one of the bathrooms located toward the rear of the home. Police say, other than wearing socks and shoes, the man was completely naked.

The suspect was taken outside where the officer provided a blanket to “cover his naked body,” and then asked the man what he was doing inside of the home.

According to the report, the suspect said the officers would not believe him if he told them what he was doing, and then he proceeded to “ramble nonsense,” the officer wrote.

When asked about drug use, the suspect reportedly said he used 70 units of methamphetamine earlier that same day and was hearing “sexual voices” in his head that began when he was at a gas station and led him on his search to find a woman to have sex with.

“The voice told Craig he could find her in the home and that’s when he entered the residence,” the officer recounted in the report.

The suspect was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility facing multiple charges, including second-degree felony burglary for allegedly entering the residence unlawfully, along with his intentions for doing so.

The charges were submitted to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review.

On Wednesday, the felony burglary charge that was formally filed against the suspect was dropped to a misdemeanor criminal trespass charge.

St. George News reached out to Washington County Prosecutor Ryan Shaum to inquire as to why the charge was amended, considering the man was found naked after allegedly breaking into a residence in the middle of the night for the purpose of finding a woman with whom to have sex.

Shaum said the felony burglary charge requires three elements that must be present in order to file the charge: the first is an intent to commit a felony while inside of the home; the second is the intent to steal; and the third is the intent to commit an assault.

While the suspect did state he broke into the home because he was “looking for a woman to have sex with,” according to the report, Shaum said the suspect never stated he would use force or violence in his quest to make that happen.

Shaum also said that one of the three elements must be present to legally charge the man with felony burglary, and “unfortunately,” he said, the suspect’s actions, as well as his statements made to officers at the scene, failed to rise to the level required to have supported that charge.

“We can only file charges based on the evidence we have at the time of the arrest,” Shaum said, adding those charges could possibly be enhanced should additional evidence be uncovered down the road.

Williams said the arresting officer made the correct call in submitting the felony burglary charge, due to the nature of the incident.

“That is a terrifying situation no matter how you look at it,” Williams said.

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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