ST. GEORGE — Engraving marks and surveillance footage were key in identifying a suspect accused of stealing more than $3,000 in tools from a local business.
On Wednesday morning, the suspect, Jerrod Dion Rizzuto, 49, was arrested and booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on third-degree felony theft and misdemeanor vehicle burglary.
The arrest stems from an investigation into a business burglary reported at a countertop store on North 3050 East in St. George on July 24, according to charging documents filed with the court.
The reporting party told investigators that on that morning, one of the staff arrived to find the lock missing from one of the trucks. When they looked inside the vehicle, they noticed that all of the tools were gone.
Investigators viewed the shop’s surveillance footage, which allegedly showed a man entering the truck shortly after 10:30 p.m. the previous night. The man appeared to be alone and was unknown to any of the witnesses who were interviewed, the officer noted in the report.
Officers obtained a list of the tools reportedly taken that were valued at more than $3,000. Each of the tools was engraved with the name of the business.
A neighboring business later provided photos of a white SUV that officers suspected was being driven by the suspect, the arrest report detailed.
What was not visible in the photos was the vehicle’s license plate, nor were the images clear enough to positively identify the make or model of the vehicle. Investigators then sent the photos out in a department-wide email to assist in identifying the vehicle.
Three days later, officers were following up on information provided by emergency dispatch indicating the vehicle appeared to be a Honda CRV. Further research of vehicle identification numbers and registration records revealed a vehilce registered to Rizzuto, who was known to police, the report states.
Officers responded to the address listed on the registration, an apartment complex on North 2070 East, and when they pulled up, they noticed a white Honda SUV that matched the vehicle captured in the photos.
Upon speaking to others at the residence, officers say they were told Rizzuto was not home. Officers noticed an outside shed near the unit that they suspected may have stolen tools inside, but could not access it at that time.
On Wednesday, officers returned to the apartment to speak to Rizzuto, which is when they learned he had “checked himself into the crisis center after finding out that the police were at his house,” the report states.
Investigators then obtained further evidence that included wood shavings, a tool found in the SUV that did not appear to belong to Rizzuto and a broken lock found with his clothing, according to the report.
When detectives searched the shed, they allegedly found toolboxes engraved with the name of the countertop business and several other tools that were also embossed with the company name.
Investigators worked with the business owner and were able to recover approximately $700 worth of tools from the $3,000 reportedly taken during the break-in.
Rizutto was located in Hurricane by police, arrested and booked into jail. Misdemeanor drug and paraphernalia charges were added after officers found suspected methamphetamine and paraphernalia in the suspect’s backpack during a search prior to transport.
The case was turned over to the Washington County Attorney’s Office for review. On Thursday, Rizzuto was formally charged with felony theft and misdemeanor burglary, a property damage charge, as well as misdemeanor drug charges filed by officers in Hurricane.
Rizutto remains in custody on $6,000 bail and is scheduled to make an initial appearance in 5th District Court in St. George.
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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