ST. GEORGE — With the help of a determined store clerk and quick police response, a man accused of using stolen credit cards for a shopping spree at local retail stores was arrested over the weekend.
Officers responded Sunday to a retail store on River Road after an employee reported that a man thought to be involved in a theft two days earlier had returned and was inside the store, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the arrest.
Patrol arrived to learn the suspect was “shopping around” with three other individuals and was wearing a black hat and a shirt with “Misfits” imprinted on it. Officers found the man alone, crouched down looking at an item on one of the lower shelves. One of the officers immediately recognized the suspect as a Rockville resident Michael Welti Sanchez, 32. He then was handcuffed and detained by police.
When asked about the whereabouts of the other individuals, Sanchez told officers he didn’t know where they had gone, the report states.
Sanchez was arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility where he was booked into jail on 10 felony charges, including four counts of unlawful use of a financial card, four counts of theft and two counts of possession of a controlled substance. He also faces one misdemeanor count each of vehicle burglary and possession of paraphernalia.
The arrest stemmed from an incident on Thursday when emergency dispatch received a report that a potentially stolen credit card had been used at a big box retailer in Washington City. The card reportedly had been stolen during a vehicle burglary in a parking lot on River Road in St. George.
The reporting party told police they had received an alert from the bank notifying them their card had just been used to make a $300 purchase while the owner of the card was working in St. George.
When officers responded to follow up on the car burglary report, the owner of the vehicle told police that his wallet was still inside the vehicle – minus the missing credit cards. Officers also learned the stolen cards had been used to make a number of purchases at retailers in St. George, even as the owner was on the phone trying to cancel the cards with the banks.
Shortly after the cards were reported stolen, one retailer contacted police on Thursday after noticing a shopper who was making a $150 gift card purchase acting “very off.” But when officers arrived minutes later, the suspect already was gone. Authorities were provided the receipt for the gift card purchase, as well as video surveillance footage captured during the transaction.
Officers also learned Sanchez allegedly returned to that same store the following day and purchased items using the gift cards he had bought the previous day.
This same retailer called the police two more times, and it was the third call that ultimately led to Sanchez’s arrest.
Meanwhile, the owner of the bankcards, who asked to remain anonymous due to safety concerns, reached out to St. George News and outlined the incident in an email.
The reader said when she received the alert involving the $300 purchase on Thursday afternoon, she realized her spouse, who had the card, was working and could not have made the purchase. Then, she said, when her husband went out and checked the vehicle, he realized that his wallet was still there, but all of his credit cards had been removed.
Even as the reporting party was on the phone with the banks, alerts continued coming in from various retailers in St. George, she said, so the charges were piling up before the cards could be canceled.
While officers were busy following up with the stores where the charges were being made, she said her husband returned to his vehicle only to find that the cards had been returned and were back inside of his wallet.
“So the suspect returned to the scene of the crime to do that,” the reader said.
During an interview at the jail following his arrest on Sunday, Sanchez admitted to making the $150 gift card purchase on Thursday but said he did so at the request of a friend who gave him a debit card and asked him to purchase a number of items from various stores in St. George.
The officer also noted that Sanchez said “he agreed and without hesitation” went from store to store making purchases with the stolen credit card. In all, more than $800 in merchandise and gift cards were purchased using the cards.
After making the purchases, police say the suspect said he returned the card to the friend who let Sanchez “keep a gift card to use for himself.”
The subsequent search of the suspect’s vehicle allegedly revealed methamphetamine and heroin in the center console of the car, along with multiple paraphernalia-related items.
Following the arrest, Sanchez remains in custody and the charges are under review at the Washington County Attorney’s Office.
This is not the first time the suspect has been arrested shortly after police were contacted. In 2017, the St. George Police Department’s SWAT team responded to the report of a man, later identified as Sanchez, reportedly attempting to gain entry into an individual’s home in the area of North 500 West, and one hour later he was on his way to jail.
Following Sunday’s arrest, the reader applauded the efforts of the St. George Police officers for their quick response, as well as their efforts that went above and beyond to catch the person allegedly responsible.
The outcome was also made possible through the efforts on the part of the retailer that contacted police multiple times – efforts that ultimately led to the man’s arrest, she said.
The employee could have just gone about their business, the reader said, but instead, they made the effort to reach out to authorities multiple times – efforts that worked out in the end.
During a recent phone call with a friend who lives on the east coast, the reader said they were going over the details of the incident and the activity that followed. After reaching the tale’s end, she said her friend made an interesting observation regarding St. George and the local community in general.
Shortly before hanging up, the friend said, “It seems like you guys really look out for one another out there.”
The reader closed by saying, “You know, I couldn’t agree more.”
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.