ST. GEORGE — A Nevada man was arrested after pushing his way into an apartment in St. George early Thursday morning, where he and a second suspect allegedly demanded money from the resident.
Shortly after 3 a.m., officers were dispatched to an apartment complex on a residential burglary reported on West 540 North, where, according to the 911 caller, a suspect was inside of the residence armed with a knife.
The 911 caller told emergency dispatch there were suspects “with a knife, please come, hurry,” the report said.
Officers arrived to find two suspects exiting the home. One fled on foot, while the second suspect, later identified as 20-year-old Leemaurie Wilson, of Henderson, Nevada, raised his hands as officers approached.
The officer asked the suspect if he had any weapons, which he denied; however, during a search, police found a black-handled pocketknife in the suspect’s front pocket before he was placed in the back of the patrol vehicle.
Through the course of the investigation, officers spoke to the residents who said there was a knock at the door minutes before their call to 911. When the individual went to answer the door, they discovered the peephole was blocked. Thinking it was one of their roommates, they opened the door and two suspects pushed their way into the home.
The resident also said one of the suspects, later identified as Wilson, was holding a pocketknife when they entered the home. The description of the knife allegedly matched the one found in the suspect’s front pocket by police, as well as the clothing description provided to officers by the resident.
The individual also said they were never threatened by the suspects, but said the men told them “they were not leaving until they got their money,” according to the statement.
When asked why the suspects wanted money, the resident said that the suspects were supposed to send money to purchase clothes from PacSun. But they went on to say they never received any money, nor did they purchase any items for the suspects. The two men then began walking through the house looking for items of value in exchange for money, believing the resident had received the money and then kept it.
When one of the men allegedly picked up a laptop, the resident told them police had been called, which is when the pair put down the laptop and fled from the home.
The second roommate provided a similar statement as to the events that took place once the suspects entered the apartment, but they said shortly after the suspects were through the door, the roommate went into the bathroom and called police.
The suspect continued to deny ever taking the pocketknife out of his pocket while being questioned by police, and he was subsequently transported and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on first-degree felony aggravated burglary.
The suspect remains in custody on $20,000 bail. The investigation is ongoing, St. George Police Officer Tiffany Atkin said, and no further details on the second suspect were available at the time of this report.
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