ST. GEORGE — A St. George man accused of threatening several family members, including children, with a gun during a family altercation was arrested during a traffic stop on Interstate 15 in Washington City, police say.
Christian Alexis Flores, 26, was arrested Monday and booked into jail facing multiple charges, including threat of terrorism and possession of a firearm by a restricted person — each a second-degree felony. He also was booked on two misdemeanors, including DUI and threatening to use a dangerous weapon in a fight.
Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St. George News that Flores was spotted by an officer and was taken into custody at gunpoint during a high-risk traffic stop near Exit 13 in Washington City shortly after 3 a.m. Monday.
Police received a report of a domestic-related incident hours earlier alleging Flores had a gun in his hand and was banging on the door of a residence located west of River Road in St. George.
According to charging documents filed in 5th District Court, while speaking to witnesses, officers learned that Flores had reportedly made threats that he wanted to “kill the owner” of a restaurant. Due to his erratic behavior that prompted the call to emergency dispatch, authorities say they had reason to believe the suspect “was going to act on his threats of violence.”
Officers in St. George issued an “attempt to locate” that was broadcast out to surrounding agencies to be on the lookout for the suspect who was a possible DUI with a weapon and was last seen driving a Honda Pilot, the report states.
While officers were processing the scene in St. George, Flores headed north on I-15 to Cedar City where police say he went to another relative’s house. While there, the report states, Flores put a gun to a family member’s head and “threatened to kill” their family.
Before leaving, he reportedly said he was returning to St. George “to kill” the family member.
Officers in Washington County later learned that authorities in Cedar City had several, previous run-ins with Flores, including a number of domestic-related “aggravated offenses” prior to his “fleeing back to St. George.”
Shortly after leaving Cedar City, Flores returned to Washington County, where he was spotted on southbound I-15 by a Washington City Police officer who conducted the high-risk stop near the Washington Parkway Exit. The officer was soon joined by the Washington County Sheriff’s Office and the Utah Highway Patrol.
During the stop, authorities say Flores appeared intoxicated, based on the suspect’s slurred speech and a strong odor of alcohol coming from his breath. He was taken into custody and officers in St. George were notified of his arrest. Officers from St. George responded and attempted to speak to Flores, but their efforts were unsuccessful when the suspect declined to speak to police without an attorney present.
While processing the scene, officers recovered a firearm from inside the Honda, along with a loaded clip, both of which were collected as evidence.
During the ride to the jail, Flores allegedly told the officer he became upset over a family issue and said the only identification he had was a passport issued out of Mexico.
He was booked into Purgatory Correctional Facility on multiple charges, including threat of terrorism, possession of a firearm by a restricted person, DUI and threatening to use a dangerous weapon in a fight.
On Tuesday, the case was filed by the Washington County Attorney’s Office and Flores was formally charged with three of the four offenses, including the second-degree felony weapons charge, along with the DUI and threatening to use a dangerous weapon in a fight.
He remains in custody on a no-bail order that was signed by District Judge Jay Winward on the morning of the arrest, along with an Immigrations-Customs Enforcement hold. Flores is scheduled to make an initial appearance in 5th District Court on Friday.
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.
Editor’s note: After the state case was filed, the defendant was accurately identified as Cristian Flores-Godinez, according to federal court records.
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