ST. GEORGE — For the third time in less than a month, St. George Police arrested a suspected robber targeting local businesses – with the suspect accused of threatening employees and patrons at two separate locations.
The first incident was reported to police at around 9:05 a.m., when a man at Dixie Bowl & Billiards was approached by another man, described as a bearded white male wearing a red shirt and baseball cap, in the parking lot of the downtown business.
The witness said the man first asked to speak to the business owner, then proceeded to attempt to open the witness’ car door and take his keys. After threatening to hit the victim if he didn’t comply, the man walked away without taking the vehicle and police arrived on the scene shortly after to begin their investigation.
A little over an hour later, employees at Fabulous Freddy’s car wash and service station on Bluff Street were reportedly threatened by a white male matching the description from the earlier robbery attempt. This time, the man threatened two employees and one customer while holding a skateboard – taking cash by force before heading south down Bluff Street on foot.
Officers arrived on the scene within two minutes and detained the man.
Michael M. Whitaker, of Farmington, was arrested and identified as the suspect in both incidents. Whitaker was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on charges of robbery, aggravated assault, disorderly conduct and failure to stop at an officer’s command.
Bystanders and witnesses were instrumental in assisting police in locating the suspect so quickly, according to the police press release.
St. George News reached out to Dixie Bowl and Fabulous Freddy’s for comment, but had not heard back from Dixie Bowl owners at the time of reporting.
Operations Manager Brett Warnick of Fabulous Freddy’s said the owner preferred not to share any specific details: “We’re just grateful everyone is safe,” Warnick said.
According to a worker at Dixie Bowl, the victim of the first attempted robbery was a fellow employee and a member of the bowling alley’s cleaning crew. As the only one working at that time, the man was alone in the parking lot when he was accosted.
This report is based on information provided by law enforcement and may not contain the full scope of findings.
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