ST. GEORGE — A man accused of an attempted pickax attack was arrested Tuesday for assault.
On Tuesday shortly after midnight, officers responded to a St. George residence after receiving a call from a man who said two people were at his home trying to kill him, according to charging documents filed with the court.
Police say a resident of the home said Aucturius Dewayne Milner, 28, lived in a shed in the backyard. The two began to fight after Milner shut off the power to the residence.
The resident said he responded by disconnecting the power to the shed, which is when Milner allegedly came up behind him with a pickax and “told him he was going to kill him,” the officer noted in the report.
The homeowner’s account was supported by a second witness who had reportedly witnessed the suspect carrying the pickax, the report states.
As the homeowner stated he was calling the police, the suspect reportedly exited the backyard through a wooden door and fled the scene. Police say the resident said he was not returning to the home due to being in fear for his life.
During a consent search of the backyard, officers recovered the pickax, as well as several other items located in plain sight that were collected as evidence.
Officers canvassing the area spotted Milner on Dixie Downs Road heading north on foot. And he was detained.
Police say Milner denied “doing anything” and said he only ran away so he would not be blamed for something he didn’t do.
The suspect was arrested and during a search prior to transport, officers found multiple plastic baggies on him. Milner allegedly told officers he found them along the roadway.
Officers also collected other paraphernalia that were placed in the trunk of the patrol unit. The officer then smelled burnt marijuana that was not present during the search of the suspect minutes before. The officer asked if Milner had anything else on his person, and cautioned the suspect by advising it would be a felony to bring contraband into the jail, at which point the suspect said he “didn’t have anything.”
While being processed at the jail, the report states that one of the corrections officers watched as the suspect removed something from his sock and put it in his mouth right before stepping into the body scanner.
When the item was retrieved from the suspect’s mouth, the suspect reportedly told deputies “he couldn’t be charged because a thorough search was already done of his person,” the officer wrote.
The suspect was booked into jail for aggravated assault, as well as possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.
Milner also faces one third-degree felony count of transporting/possessing prohibited items into a correctional facility.
On Thursday, the Washington County Attorney’s Office filed seven third-degree felony charges of unlawful acquisition of a financial card against the suspect, as well as two misdemeanor charges for possession of another’s identifying documents and possession of a controlled substance. The charges in the second case were filed from the evidence collected during a search of the shed where the suspect was living.
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.
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