Mesquite Police arrest St. George man after alleged stolen car knocks out high-voltage light pole

Suspect crashes alleged stolen passenger car into light pole in Mesquite, Nev., April 2, 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Mesquite Police Department, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A St. George man was arrested and booked on several felony charges in Nevada after police say the suspect stole a car that he crashed into an electric pole. The man was arrested by officers in Mesquite the following day.

Braedan Aaric Smith, 28, of St. George, booking photo taken in Mesquite, Nev., April 3, 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Mesquite Police Department, St. George News

The arrest stems from an incident early Saturday morning when officers responded to a single-vehicle crash near the intersection of Horizon Boulevard and Falcon Ridge Parkway in Mesquite involving a maroon passenger car that crashed into a pole.

Officers arrived to find the vehicle partially blocking traffic and a large light pole located in the center median that was knocked over, leaving live, high-voltage power lines exposed and lying on the ground, according to a statement released by the Mesquite Police Department.

Officers also found that the driver was no longer at the scene.

The officers had learned shortly before the incident that the car that crashed and was abandoned was stolen from a tire shop where the vehicle was being serviced.

Detectives also obtained surveillance footage that captured an image of the suspect reportedly involved in the vehicle theft that officers quickly recognized, the statement said, and a search for the suspect ensued.

The following day, a patrol officer observed a man on foot that matched the photo captured on the surveillance footage, identified as 28-year-old Braedan Aaric Smith, of St. George, who was taken into custody without incident.

Mesquite Police Sgt. Wyatt Oliver told St. George News that officers recognized Smith from previous interactions while on patrol, adding the encounters were not related to any criminal activity, only that officers were familiar with him.

Smith was transported to jail facing multiple charges, including grand larceny of a motor vehicle, tampering with a motor vehicle and damage to property of another, each a felony. He also faces one count of possession of burglary tools – a gross misdemeanor in Nevada.

Suspect crashes alleged stolen passenger car into light pole in Mesquite, Nev., April 2, 2022 | Photo courtesy of the Mesquite Police Department, St. George News

With Smith facing felony charges, he was transported to the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas.

In 2018 he was convicted of felony burglary for breaking into a retailer on River Road by reportedly smashing through one of the glass entrance doors, and earlier that same year he was arrested for felony burglary of a dwelling after a homeowner caught the suspect in the garage of their home and called police.

According to court records, during the incident, Smith was seen going through the homeowner’s vehicle, and he was found by officers less than a block away during a canvass of the area shortly after the incident. During a search of the suspect, officers located multiple items reportedly taken from the vehicle that were identified by the homeowner. Smith was arrested and pleaded guilty to the charges several months later.

Following the arrest in Nevada, Mesquite Police Chief MaQuade Chesley said the surveillance footage from the tire shop was instrumental in making the arrest, adding the employees were “incredible,” and despite the fact it was the middle of the night were able to provide officers with the footage that assisted in identifying and then locating the suspect they were looking for. He added that those efforts were a culmination of the positive working relationship between law enforcement and the businesses in Mesquite.

Smith has been formally charged with the offenses and remains in custody in Nevada as this report publishes.

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, 2022, all rights reserved.

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