Man convicted of aggravated robbery with multiple violations is back in jail

Stock image by Unsplash, St. George News

ST. GEORGE —A St. George man who avoided prison by way of residential treatment on an aggravated robbery conviction last spring is back in jail as of Wednesday, despite a warning from the sentencing judge who provided a glimpse into the defendant’s future of incarceration if he violated the terms of the agreement.

Michael Dean Rottmund, 24, of St. George, booking photo taken in Washington County, Utah, March 6, 2021 | Photo courtesy of the Washington County Sheriff’s Office, St. George News

In April 2022, 26-year-old Michael Dean Rottmund appeared before District Judge Jeffrey C. Wilcox for sentencing on first-degree felony robbery and four misdemeanors, including one count of unlawful detention and three counts of possession of a controlled substance.

The case stems from an incident that Wilcox described as “absolutely horrific,” filed in March 2021 and started with a 911 call reporting a robbery that took place at an apartment complex on West 360 North on the night of March 6, 2021.

Officers arrived to learn a man had been held for more than five hours against his will after one of the tenants, later identified as Georgia Brook Jones, accused him of taking several thousand dollars that were missing from her home.

The man denied stealing the money and when Jones’ partner Rottmund returned home, he confronted the man with a large knife and ordered him to first remove his clothing, sit down and not move. He then proceeded to take cash, gift cards, jewelry and other valuables belonging to the victim.

Rottmund also threatened to assault the man with a knife if he attempted to make a run for it, and it was only after a family member of the caller deposited $900 in his PayPal account that he was allowed to leave but not before the suspect threatened to shoot him if he went to police.

The man left without his clothing or any other personal property and returned to his home, thus ending the five-hour ordeal.

Following his arrest, Rottmund remained in custody until April 2021 when he was released to a residential treatment center for substance abuse.

When the defendant appeared for sentencing one year later, instead of sending Rottmund to prison, the judge followed the recommendations as set forth in the presentence report, also supported by both the state and the defense. Wilcox suspended the prison term of five years in Utah State Prison on the robbery charge, as well as a year in county jail for each of the misdemeanor charges the defendant pleaded guilty to. All sentences were suspended and ordered to run concurrently if the suspension was ever lifted.

Instead of granting the defendant credit for time served, the judge suspended the entire sentence, meaning the defendant would face additional time in jail if the original sentence was imposed. This is what the judge told the defendant could happen if Rottmund ever violated the terms of his probation that would continue for the next four years, according to court records.

The judge also told the defendant that if he failed to comply with the terms of his sentence, he would have a target on his back, adding, “If you screw up again, the first thing that’s going to be reported is that you’ve pled guilty to a first-degree felony – aggravated robbery – and you’ll be treated as a hardened criminal,” Wilcox said.

He closed by saying, “I don’t ever want to see you in front of me again.”

While Rottmund will not be seeing Wilcox in the courtroom again, due to the judge’s pending retirement, he is scheduled to appear before District Judge John J. Walton on Feb. 22 for a warrant review hearing following the arrest that took place Monday.

This is the second warrant arrest for Rottmund since he was sentenced on the first-degree felony last year, and as it turns out, within two months of that hearing the defendant would have a string of alleged probation violations ranging from uranalysis tests that came back positive for narcotics to dangerous weapons.

Additionally, Rottmund tested positive for illicit drug use and later, he reportedly violated his probation by traveling to Nevada. Out-of-state travel is prohibited without permission. All these allegations were submitted to the court in November 2022.

2022 file photo of 25-year-old Michael Dean Rottmund appears for sentencing hearing through Webex aggravated robbery charge from 2021, St. George, Utah, March 29, 2022 | Court pool photo, St. George News

The probation officer also noted that Rottmund’s 240-day jail sentence was “stayed” pending compliance in probation, which the defendant has failed to maintain with “multiple violations documented,” the officer wrote.

Moreover, the report states, since then, the defendant was discharged unsuccessfully from four different treatment facilities for failing to participate or follow the rules, as well as his continued use of illegal substances, including fentanyl. On Nov. 28, 2022, the first warrant was issued for his arrest, and he was booked into jail the following day.

The defendant remained in custody until his release on Feb. 1, when he entered the drug court program. According to the post-sentencing order that was signed on Feb. 8, Rottmond’s probation was changed to bench probation and his original suspended prison term was reinstated as long as he completed the drug court program successfully.

On Monday, five days after the revised sentencing order was signed, another warrant was issued for the defendant’s arrest, which took place Tuesday evening, and Rottmund was booked into jail in Washington County.

St. George News contacted Washington County Attorney Tyler Bonzo, the prosecutor in the case who said the warrant was issued after Rottmund reportedly left a treatment center in New Harmony early – a program he was ordered to complete, which violated the terms of his probation.

He is scheduled to appear in court before Walton next week for the warrant review hearing and from there, Bonzo said a show cause hearing will follow. Until then, Rottmund remains in custody without bail.

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, 2023, all rights reserved.

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