ST. GEORGE — A burglary suspect who allegedly broke into Kmart and a St. George bike shop was arrested after a foot pursuit by police officers during the early morning hours of Tuesday.

Clinton Riley Brinkerhoff, 32, of Washington, was arrested and booked into the Purgatory Correctional Facility on charges of burglary, theft and failing to stop for an officer’s command.

Brinkerhoff first broke into Red Rock Bicycle Monday between the hours of 1 and 2 a.m., St. George Police officer Lona Trombley said. He broke a window to get in and went to the cash register.

“The alarms scared him and he took off,” Trombley said. “Nothing was taken from Red Rock Bicycle.”

After fleeing, Brinkerhoff then went to Kmart at about 2:23 a.m. Monday, where he broke into the store by breaking a door and a window in the garden center, Trombley said, adding that he stole a TV, a toolbox, a cable gun, jewelry and a sound bar.

When St. George Police officers arrived at Kmart, multiple alarms were blaring and the suspect had already fled the scene. However, police officers found some of the items he allegedly stole stashed nearby.

Instead of immediately recovering the items, police placed surveillance devices near or on these items, including the toolbox, Trombley said. Detectives were stationed around Kmart to keep track of the items and arrest the suspect when he returned.

Brinkerhoff returned for his loot at about 2:30 a.m. Tuesday, Trombley said.

“He saw the officers and started running south,” Trombley said. “But he was not fast enough. Police officers caught up to him and arrested him.”

When Brinkerhoff was arrested, Trombley said he had a tablet with him with a police scanner app to try to monitor police activity around him.

All of the items he stole from Kmart were recovered, Trombley said.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by law enforcement or other emergency 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.

Email: [email protected]

Twitter:  @STGnews | @SpencerRicks

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2018, all rights reserved.