2 theft suspects arrested after returning to same St. George store twice

Composite image with background photo by ZiB; overlay photo by 5m3photos/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — Two suspects were arrested when they reportedly took items from the same hardware store in St. George twice. Both incidents were caught on surveillance footage that was later turned over to police.

File photo of officers responding to Bluff Street in St George, Utah, April 28, 2022 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News

On Thursday officers were dispatched to a hardware store near 500 West shortly after 11 a.m., on a report of a theft in progress involving the same two suspects that were also involved in a retail theft three days before, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.

The suspects returned to the store driving the same vehicle, the report states, which was a black Mini Cooper that was seen in the surveillance footage during both incidents.

The suspects were parked in the same vehicle that had its hazard lights on when officers arrived and both were asked to exit the car.

The passenger was identified as 25-year-old Jason Ivan Fierro, while the driver was identified as 47-year-old Teri Jo Orphan, both of St. George.

Meanwhile, officers inside of the store viewed surveillance footage that showed Fierro take a fishing reel that was still in the box and disappear into another aisle. Minutes later, the suspect returns to the camera frame without the box, but then officers noticed a bulge in the suspect’s front jacket pocket. The box was later found empty and abandoned on another aisle of the store.

Officers also watched as the suspect continued checking the pocket area of his jacket, as if to confirm the reel was still there.

The footage also showed Orphan going to the same aisle where she was seen taking two boxes, each containing a fishing reel, from the display, and while the boxes were never recovered, the computer showed the reels were missing from the inventory list.

From there, Orphan can allegedly be seen taking a Dewalt inflator valued at $140 and place the item in a  black purse that she kept concealed by the shopping cart, and then both suspects walked out of the store and got into the black Mini Cooper.

Officers separated both suspects and while speaking to officers, Fierro allegedly admitted to taking the fishing reel from the store, while Orphan “did not admit to stealing any items,” the officer noted.

The report also states that Orphan’s comments were not supported by the surveillance footage that “clearly” showed her placing the inflator in her purse before leaving the store.

Stock image | Photo by Bobex-73/iStock/Getty Images Plus, St. George News

During a search of the vehicle officers recovered a black purse matching the one seen in the footage, as well as a number of grocery bags that were tied at the top that contained several items that were possibly related to the theft. A Ryobi leaf blower was also recovered, along with suspected methamphetamine, a loaded syringe and other paraphernalia.

Both suspects were booked into jail facing retail theft and possession of paraphernalia. Fierro faces an additional misdemeanor charge of possession of a controlled substance and was also booked on two active warrants that were filed in one of several cases and convictions found during a check of court records.

Orphan also faced a misdemeanor weapons charge, along with an additional felony charge for drug possession.

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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