ST. GEORGE — Within days of her release from jail, a Santa Clara woman was arrested again after being found barricaded in a motel bathroom, police said.
2017 file photo for illustrative purposes only of 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
On March 8, 44-year-old Michelle Marie Wetzel was arrested at the Coronada Inn on St. George Boulevard. Police say Wetzel, who had outstanding warrants, also is the primary suspect in a felony theft case reported earlier that same week, in which a firearm and multiple items were taken from a residence in Santa Clara.
Officers initially responded to the motel in search of a wanted fugitive who was also a suspect in a possible abduction out of Virginia, as previously reported by St. George News.
St. George Police Officer Tiffany Mitchell said the Virginia fugitive was in Wetzel’s motel room after he could no longer stay in the room he rented.
When officers arrived to investigate the abduction call, both individuals, including the fugitive and the victim, exited the room and the fugitive was taken into custody without incident, Mitchell said.
Meanwhile, officers learned the room was under Wetzel’s name. Upon arrival, police said they found that Wetzel had barricaded herself in the bathroom and refused to come out despite multiple commands.
After several minutes, she exited the bathroom and was taken into custody by police. She was then transported to Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility on the warrants as well as a misdemeanor charge for interfering with an arrest.
Wetzel had been released from jail on an assault charge less than a week before she was arrested at the motel.
In terms of the March 2 felony theft case in which Wetzel is a primary suspect, Santa Clara-Ivins Police officers responded to a Santa Clara residence after receiving a report that a firearm and multiple other items were taken while the homeowner was in the hospital, according to charging documents filed with 5th District Court. During this time, Wetzel was reportedly renting a room from the homeowner.
Despite the extra locks on the owner’s bedroom door, Wetzel entered the room and took the items, the report alleges, adding that she was later seen placing items into a van.
Once the homeowner returned, a friend of Wetzel reportedly sent a tow truck to the house to remove her vehicles from the home. When the tow truck driver arrived and attempted to tow the first vehicle, he was stopped by the homeowner’s relatives and left without towing the vehicles.
2019 file photo for illustrative purposes only, St. George News
Investigators say prior to this, Wetzel had called a friend from jail while she was in custody on an unrelated assault charge. During the recorded call, Wetzel allegedly told the friend to have both vehicles towed to prevent the stolen merchandise from being discovered, according to police.
Those efforts were thwarted when the homeowner’s relatives spotted the stolen items and prevented the van from being towed from the residence, the report states. Officers were then advised that property belonging to the homeowner could be seen through the window of the van.
2020 stock image of Purgatory Correctional Facility in Hurricane, Utah, Oct. 21, 2020 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Armed with a warrant, officers searched the vehicle and recovered several stolen items found scattered throughout the van, including a loaded handgun that was in a case matching the one that was taken from the homeowner.
Wetzel was charged with theft of a firearm in connection with the incident at the residence. She faces an additional charge of obstruction of justice and violation of a protective order since she was prohibited from having contact with the individual she called from jail.
Officers requested that Wetzel be held without bail based on her unpredictable behavior, and a no-bail hold was placed on the suspect shortly after her arrest.
St. George News reached out to the Coronada Inn for comment but did not receive a response by the time this report was published.
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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