Suspect arrested after St. George hotel clerk calls 911 following assault on guest

2021 file photo of St. George Police, St. George, Utah, Dec. 17, 2021 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

ST. GEORGE — A suspect with more than 30 arrests and multiple convictions in another state was arrested after a guest ran to the hotel desk reporting that a man had entered the room and held a gun to the guest’s head.

In this 2021 file photo for illustrative purposes only St. George Police respond to an incident on 100 South and River Road, St. George, Dec. 17, 2021 | Photo by Mori Kessler, St. George News

On Monday the St. George Communications Center received a 911 call from a motel on Main Street in St. George shortly before 4:30 a.m., reporting that a guest had just reported that a suspect had entered their room and pointed a gun at their head and asked for the employee to call police, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.

When officers arrived they learned that a man had knocked on the guest’s room door asking for money, and they let the suspect into the room because they were afraid of him, the officer noted in the report.

He guest said when they gave the suspect $20, the man became angry when the individual would not give them more, and when the reporting party got up to leave, the report states, the suspect took their cell phone and held the door shut.

While the guest was trying to pull the door open they heard the sound of a “gun being loaded,” the officer noted, which is when the suspect pushed a gun to the guest’s head and said to stay quiet. The guest was able to break free and started running towards the main lobby of the motel, while the suspect chased after but was unable to catch up.

The report also states officers were provided a description of the firearm reportedly used in the incident, a Smith and Wesson .380 handgun, which went missing from the guest’s room a day or two before.

Officers also learned that two days prior, the suspect, identified as 36-year-old Jeramiah Manitz, had been formally trespassed from the motel and was prohibited from entering the property.

When officers went to the room where the incident took place and just inside the doorway, they found a white long sleeved shirt on the ground. Wrapped inside was the loaded gun with five rounds in the magazine, which was partially ejected from the gun. Nearby officers found a plastic baggie possibly containing heroin. Officers believed the suspect dropped the items when he chased after the guest.

According to witness statements, the suspect was seen and heard at the hotel multiple times during the 24 hours preceding the call to 911 and was reportedly pounding on random doors looking for the guest and screaming in the hallway.

Officers also learned the guest and the suspect were in a past relationship. A background check revealed that Manitz was arrested in March for a felony drug offense — one of three previous arrests in Utah, two of which were felony cases from 2005. The criminal background check also revealed that Manitz had been arrested 35 times in California, with multiple felony convictions for burglary, forcible assault with a deadly weapon with great bodily injury, felony battery against a police officer, drugs, automobile theft and a threatening crime with intent to terrorize offense.

Stock photo of Pleasant Valley Prison facility located in Fresno County, Calif., | Photo courtesy of the Garden County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

The officer also noted that Manitz is “a definite danger” to the public, based on the suspect’s extensive criminal history and transient lifestyle.

One conviction landed the defendant in Pleasant Valley State Prison in California on Nov. 23, 2017, and he was eligible for parole two years later.

On Tuesday, the suspect was located and arrested by police.  He was transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail shortly before 3 p.m., facing a second-degree felony charge of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and two third-degree felony charges, including aggravated assault and possession of a controlled substance. He also faces one count each of stalking, unlawful detention and criminal trespass, each a misdemeanor.

Formal charges were filed by the Washington County Attorney’s Office on Wednesday.

A public safety assessment filed the following day revealed the suspect has “an elevated risk of committing a violent crime,” and he remains in custody on a no-bail hold.

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.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!