ST. GEORGE — It wasn’t an April Fools’ Day joke, but as far as Carl Lamar was concerned, it was an act of fools.
The Dance Magic dance gear store at 334 W. Tabernacle Street in St. George, owned and run by Lamar’s wife Carmen, was broken into overnight Thursday-Friday. Lamar said nothing was actually taken but one of the two front glass doors was shattered and the store’s back door was damaged.
It was that back metal door that left Carl Lamar, who has been a familiar voice since 1987 on the airwaves of 99.9 KONY Country radio, scratching his head.
“To get out, all they needed to do was slide out the lock and open this latch. No, they decided to take a crowbar, and bend it so they could open it,” Carl Lamar said. “It’s stupid. Criminals are stupid.”
The metal between a door latch and a doorknob was warped and decorative felt was torn off, with a decorative leprechaun from the recent St. Patrick’s Day posted nearby. But that Irish luck was left for the front of the store.
Whoever broke in destroyed the front right door of the store, leaving glass shattered about, Carmen Lamar said, when she arrived to the store Friday morning after being contacted by St. George Police. She said the alarm system at her store had failed.
However, a repair crew was already on the scene in the early afternoon, installing a new, ready-made door.
“We lucked out that they already had the right-sized door in stock,” Carl Lamar said.
Carl Lamar is also the voice of newscasts across Canyon Media’s radio stations and the program director of KZNU, St. George News Radio 1450 AM and 93.1 FM. This month, he will mark his 50th year in radio.
St. George News is part of Canyon Media, which includes the KONY and KZNU radio stations.
A full stock of leotards, shoes and other gear for dancers and gymnasts remained in the store. There was no apparent damage beyond the front and back doors. Both Lamars speculated that the culprits were only trying to get money in the store, but they didn’t find any.
But what they did take was a part of Carmen Lamar’s peace of mind.
“It feels horrible. You feel like you’ve been violated,” she said. “I was just upset that they the damage they did is so unnecessary, you know, because why break two doors, one door wasn’t enough? I mean, this is depressing that they invade your space.”
Carmen Lamar said she would try to still take customers Friday for the store that is usually closed Saturday and Sunday.
The Lamars said they have heard about other recent break-ins in the area.
St. George Police did not have information on hand about the incident at Dance Magic. However, St. George Police Officer Tiffany Mitchell said there is not necessarily an uptick in crime in the area.
“I can’t say that we’ve had many,” Mitchell said. “It does happen though.”
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