ST. GEORGE — A man suspected of robbing a convenience store in St. George was stopped only miles away when an officer spotted a vehicle reportedly speeding through Washington City. Police allege they found a large amount of cash in small denominations scattered throughout the interior during a search of the car.
2023 file photo for illustrative purposes only of St. George Police officers tending to a scene on 1450 South in St. George, Utah, Dec. 22, 2023 | File photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News
Officers responded to a convenience store on east 1450 South on a report of a robbery shortly after 1:15 a.m. in St. George on Wednesday.
Charging documents filed with the court allege the incident involved a suspect who entered a store with his face covered and pointing “something through his shirt,” at a clerk, who told officers they believed it was a gun. The suspect told the clerk he was robbing the store and asked for the money in the cash register.
The clerk complied, the suspect grabbed the money and then fled the store in a vehicle. The incident was captured on the store’s security cameras showing a white male entering the store wearing dark clothing with his shirt pulled up over his mouth. Once the suspect approached the register, officers could see thick facial hair sticking out from under the shirt partially covering his face, as well as a distinctive V-shaped hairline that is often referred to as a “widow’s peak.”
The suspect exited the store with the cash, a majority of which was $1 bills, then walked to a silver sedan and drove off, heading east on 1450 South. As the car was exiting the store parking lot, the suspect drove over a thick concrete curb, damaging the front of the vehicle and continued through a muddy area leaving tracks that appeared to have come from a vehicle with front tires that were bald, officers stated.
File photo showing the Washington City Police Department, Washington City, Utah, Jan. 16, 2024 | Photo by Haven Scott, St. George News
While processing the scene in St. George, officers learned that a silver sedan had just been stopped by a Washington City officer who had spotted the sedan going 50 mph in a 40 mph speed zone. A records check revealed the driver had an outstanding warrant and was driving on a suspended license.
During the stop, the officer found an open container of alcohol and $1 bills strewn “all over the car.” The suspect, identified as 33-year-old Skyler Isaiah Schofield, of Kanab, was arrested on the warrant.
The arresting officer sent a booking photo of the suspect to detectives in St. George who noticed the man had the same distinct hairline and was wearing dark clothing that matched the store footage. They also learned the sedan Schofield was driving had front-end damage that was consistent with driving off a curb, in addition to the uneven tread pattern similar to the tracks found near the parking lot of the convenience store in St. George.
Washington City officers noted the car that Schofield was stopped in was headed along a route that was leading him away from the convenience store. St. George detectives arrived at the jail to learn that Schofield had a large amount of cash on him.
File photo of Purgatory Correctional Facility near Hurricane, Utah, date not specified | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
When counted, the sum matched the amount taken from the store, officers allege. During an interview, the suspect, who police say appeared heavily intoxicated, denied having any involvement.
Schofield said he was arriving from Kanab when he was stopped in Washington City, which was inconsistent with the direction he was traveling when stopped, officers alleged.
Following his arrest on the warrant after the traffic stop, Schofield was formally charged with an aggravated robbery charge filed in connection with the incident at the St. George convenience store. He remains in custody at Purgatory Correctional Facility on a no-bail hold.
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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