ST. GEORGE — A Virginia man is being held without bail in Washington County after a dispatch center in Wyoming alerted authorities in St. George that a fugitive was last tracked to the area.
2017 file photo for illustrative purposes only shows St. George Police officers responding to the Coronada Inn on St. George Boulevard in St. George, Utah, Sept. 15, 2017 | File photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
The suspect was wanted on a first-degree felony warrant, as well as for allegedly abducting a woman in Virginia and then taking the victim out of state over the weekend
According to charging documents filed with the courts, the Consolidated Emergency Communications Center received a call on Friday from an emergency dispatch center in Buffalo, Wyoming, alerting authorities that a suspect had reportedly abducted a woman out of Virginia and then traveled to the area.
The suspect was identified as Denzel Jerome Waddy, 33, of Kents Store, Virginia, approximately 27 miles northeast of Charlottesville. He was last traced to the downtown area of St. George, and despite a search of the area, officers at that time couldn’t locate the suspect or his vehicle.
Later that evening, officers found the suspect staying at one of the motels on St. George Boulevard, and when they approached the room, they encountered Waddy who was taken into custody by police on the out-of-state warrant. Officers also found the victim who was possibly abducted out of Virginia.
While searching of the suspect’s vehicle, officers found several bags of suspected marijuana that appeared to have come from a dispensary. The suspect “openly” confirmed and told officers he was unaware of the marijuana laws in Utah. The suspect was booked into jail in Washington County on a warrant, along with misdemeanor drug and paraphernalia charges.
Meanwhile, a review of the General District Court of the Commonwealth of Virginia court docket revealed the warrant was issued on an unrelated case involving three charges filed in August 2023, including strangulation resulting in injury, assault and battery and abduction by use of force/intimidation.
Photo shows court docket of Denzel Jerome Waddy, 33, that was filed in the District Court of the Commonwealth of Virginia, following the suspect’s arrest in Washington County on March 8. 2024 | Screenshot courtesy of the District Court of the Commonwealth of Virginia, St. George News
The assault and battery charge was filed based on allegations Waddy used a substance to alter either the victim’s medication, cosmetics or some other item with the intent of killing or injuring the victim by inhaling, ingesting or using the product. After Waddy failed to appear in a Fluvanna County courtroom for a Jan. 24 hearing, a fully extraditable warrant was issued for his arrest.
With Waddy in custody following the arrest in St. George, the warrant that was issued out of Fluvanna County was sent to the Washington County Attorney’s Office and a fugitive complaint was filed.
The suspect remains in custody on a no-bail hold until arrangements to return the suspect to Virginia have been completed. Additionally, the investigation into the possible abduction/human trafficking incident involving the victim that was found in the motel room in St. George is still ongoing.
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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