ST. GEORGE — Two men traveled from out of state to commit crimes in St. George, according to the police. They are now in jail after their alleged efforts to gain access to a skateboard store on St. George Boulevard were foiled by an observant officer, the store’s security system and a swift response by police early Thursday morning.

On Wednesday night, a patrol officer was heading west on St. George Boulevard and noticed that the front door to the Lip Trix store located near the corner of 500 East appeared to be damaged, according to charging documents filed in support of the arrests.

Upon further inspection, the officer discovered that the glass encased in metal was completely shattered, possibly by the red rock sitting on the inside of the entryway that could have been thrown through the glass.

When the business owner was notified of the damage, he came to the store. Inside, officers reviewed the surveillance footage showing two men approach the business. Both appeared to be looking inside as they attempted to open the door, according to the probable cause statement.

One of the men appeared to be a white man, donning jeans, a black sweater and a gray hat. The report also states that the second suspect appeared to be a Hispanic man wearing a black sweatshirt with “VANS” imprinted in white, along with black shorts and white shoes.

After allegedly trying the door, both suspects left the area.

St. George News spoke with Lip Trix owner Kris Ripplinger, who said he had just closed when the suspects made the first attempt to break through the door, going from the time stamp on the security footage.

Just before 10 p.m., the footage showed the same two suspects pulling up to the store in a black SUV. One of the men approached the entrance carrying what appeared to be a crowbar. The suspect attempted to pry the door open but was unsuccessful and left in the vehicle.

Shortly thereafter, the suspect returned in the vehicle. Officers watched video of the same suspect getting out and throwing a rock through the window and shattering the glass.

Immediately after, the officer noted that the suspect got back into the SUV and drove off. That was the last time the suspects were captured on the store security footage. Authorities said they believe the suspects may have shattered the window and then left as a means to test the store’s alarm system.

In the meantime, Ripplinger said he was busy with his wife, Hannah, cleaning up glass and securing the door throughout the night. As they did so, he said, both noticed one of the suspects standing across the street “just staring at us — it was pretty creepy,” he said.

At that point, Ripplinger called the St. George Police Department’s non-emergency number to advise that one of the suspect’s appeared to be watching them and had been for more than an hour.

Within two minutes, she said, officers located the suspects less than two blocks away. Responding officers spotted the suspects pull out from behind a building onto St. George Boulevard. The suspects were apprehended near the corner of 600 East.

During the traffic stop, police noticed the two men matched the suspects seen in the footage. They were identified as 50-year-old Larry Wessford Lassiter and 28-year-old Chad Simon, both from California.

Officers learned that the SUV the men were driving was a rental car. The pair also declined to answer any questions.

During an inventory of the vehicle, officers recovered multiple tools commonly used to gain entry into a building, including a crowbar that matched the one seen in the security footage. The arrest also led officers to a motel room where the two men were staying. During a search, additional evidence was recovered from the room, police said.

Lassiter was also searched prior to jail transport. Officers stated they found an ID card in his wallet that did not belong to the man. When asked who it belonged to, the suspect reportedly told police he had found it on the ground.

Both men were arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility and booked into jail, each facing one third-degree felony count of burglary.

Lassiter also faces a misdemeanor charge of possession of an identification document.

Simon faces two additional charges that include felony possession of a controlled substance, along with a misdemeanor tampering charge that was submitted after drugs were allegedly recovered by the jail staff during the booking process.

Ripplinger said it was the efforts of the St. George Police Department responding so quickly that likely prevented the suspects from returning and stealing inventory. He also commended the proactive officer that noticed the shattered front door and immediately took action.

“We are very fortunate to have so many good officers here in St. George,” he added.

With Simon and Lassiter in custody, the officer requested that both suspects be held without bail based on the fact they traveled to Utah from out of state in a rental car and that neither had any ties to the area. A no-bail order was accepted and signed early Friday morning.

Hannah Ripplinger said that hours before the break-in, a man entered the store and allegedly left with an expensive snowboarding jacket without paying for the item. The incident was also captured by the store’s security camera and was reported to police after the break-in.

The suspect has yet to be identified. Photos of the man and of the vehicle he was driving were provided to St. George News and are included in this story.

Police warning to out-of-towners

The arrest prompted the St. George Police Department to summarize the incident in a post on the department’s social media site, as well as tips to improve security and enhance community safety as the city continues to grow.

This includes installing a security and alarm system that can assist police by providing clear video footage and images that can be captured even when light is limited. It also involves watching out for one another and being a watchful neighbor by reporting suspicious activity. Even if officers respond and find nothing, it’s better than missing an opportunity to stop a crime.

The post also served to issue a warning to those traveling to St. George with nefarious intentions.

“It appears that these individuals were in town from California, in a rental car, to steal as much as they could from St. George,” the post stated, adding that neither man had ties to the area.

The suspects may have thought that St. George residents “would be an easy target,” the statement finished. “They were wrong.”

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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