ST. GEORGE — A suspect with a violent criminal history is in jail without bail after he was found inside a home he reportedly broke into in Washington City and set two fires in the pantry.
File photo for illustrative purposes only of Washington City Police officers responding to a call in Washington City, Utah, Oct. 4, 2023 | Photo courtesy of the Washington City Police Department, St. George News,
Officers were dispatched to a Washington City residence shortly before 10 p.m. Monday after a homeowner called emergency dispatch to report a residential burglary in progress.
The 911 caller told authorities he and his wife had just returned home and from the driveway, the complainant said, they could see an unidentified man inside their house, according to the affidavit filed in support of the arrest.
The couple also described the suspect to responding officers who set up a perimeter around the residence, while another team of officers entered the large home to search for the suspect.
Shortly after entering the home and calling out for anyone inside to reveal themselves, the suspect walked down the stairs to the main floor and was taken into custody by police. He was later identified as local resident Brady Alexander Seward, age 38.
With the suspect in custody and the residence cleared by police, the homeowners entered and proceeded through the home to check for missing items but smelled smoke inside.
The source of the smoke came from the pantry area off of the kitchen where officers found a bucket of artificial flowers on fire. They also found a box on a nearby counter that was also burned, gauging from the hole officers found that burned through the box.
“There was no reason or explanation for either fires to be started,” the officer wrote.
In the meantime, the fire department responded to inspect the home and found no other areas burned. They also determined damage was confined to the containers.
According to the report, the box that caught fire was brought in from the garage, allegedly by the suspect, and investigators also noted that the room where the fires were set was lined with several wooden cabinets, which could have also caught fire.
The suspect was arrested and on the ride to jail, Seward reportedly told officers he was “the son of God” and that “all police were now damned for our actions against him.”
2019 file photo of Washington City Fire Department responding to a structure in Washington City, Utah, July 26, 2019 | Photo by Cody Blowers, St. George News
Seward was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility facing second-degree felony burglary of a dwelling and one third-degree felony count of arson, “due to the arson only being attempted and not completed of the $8 million home.” The suspect also faces a misdemeanor paraphernalia charge after asking officers to retrieve a bag he left inside of the home that reportedly contained a pipe and other drug-related items.
Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St. George News the arresting officers recognized Seward from hours earlier when they responded to a disorderly call at a local park where the suspect was causing a disturbance and yelling at officers.
A public safety assessment report filed at the time of the suspect’s arrest was flagged with an elevated risk of committing a violent crime based, in part, on three prior violent offenses.
One of those cases was filed in 2021 when Seward was arrested for punching a Salt Lake City Police officer in the eye during a scuffle at Liberty Park. He was later convicted of the charge.
Following the most recent arrest, the suspect remains in jail without bail.
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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