ST. GEORGE — When employees at Dutchman’s Market arrived at approximately 8 a.m. on Saturday morning, they noticed that their marquee had been rearranged to include a racial slur. Santa Clara-Ivins Police Department Sergeant Reed Briggs confirmed on Saturday afternoon that the sign had been altered and they are currently looking into the incident.
In a Facebook post on Saturday morning, Dutchman’s Market released a statement about the incident.
“We remain committed to doing our part to ensure our community is a welcoming place for all, and this incident reminds us that there is still much work to be done,” a portion of the Facebook post said.
Briggs added that the letters on the sign that included the slur did not match the letters on the rest of the sign. He said that whoever did it either had their own letters or took them from another local business.
Police have narrowed down the timeframe in which the alteration could have happened to between the hours of 11 p.m. and 4 a.m. This is thanks to a local community member who made the owners aware of it.
“The reason we have that is a citizen drove by that knows the family that owns Dutchman’s Market and sent them a text message about it,” Briggs said. “We know for sure the sign had been altered by that time.”
Video surveillance from Dutchman’s Market and other local businesses are being used to try and identify any suspects. In the Dutchman’s Market Facebook post, they asked anyone with information about the incident to contact them at (435) 632-8482.
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