ST. GEORGE — A man suspected of assaulting a clerk during a robbery at a convenience store in Washington City was arrested after officers reportedly found him drinking the proceeds of the alleged theft.
Officers were dispatched Sunday morning to a gas station on Telegraph Street in Washington City on a report of retail theft, according to the probable cause statement filed in support of the suspect’s arrest.
Upon arrival, police say a “visibly upset and crying” clerk told them that minutes earlier, a man had attempted to purchase a case of beer but she refused the sale. The man then went behind the counter, grabbed the clerk and pushed her into a corner, the report alleges.
He reportedly grabbed a pack of cigarettes and the case of beer and fled the store on foot.
Washington City Police Chief Jason Williams told St. George News that the man was refused the sale of beer after he presented the clerk with a photo identification card that appeared to have been altered.
When officers canvassing the area found the suspect, Michael Maxwell Whitaker, 29, the case of beer was open and he “was drinking a beer,” the officer noted.
Whitaker was arrested and transported to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility. Because he went behind the counter, or “a separation barrier,” and grabbed and assaulted the clerk before taking the items without paying for them, Whitaker faces first-degree felony robbery charges, police said.
St. George News reached out to the store for comment but had yet to hear back by the time of publishing this report.
Officers requested that Whitaker be held without bail based on several factors and due to him being “a danger to the public” and showing “no remorse for assaulting the store clerk.”
Moreover, the officer wrote, Whitaker has no ties to Southern Utah and has a possible mental illness and an extensive criminal history that includes not only assault charges but a previous robbery case filed last year.
Williams said Whitaker has had several encounters with officers in Washington City, primarily for alcohol and trespassing offenses, as well as an aggravated robbery charge filed in St. George last year.
On June 24, 2022, officers responded to two incidents reported within hours of each other, the first of which was an attempted carjacking on Center Street in St. George.
In this case, Whitaker approached a man in a parking lot, entered his vehicle and attempted to steal it, according to charging documents filed at the time of the incident.
After his search to find keys in the car was unsuccessful, he exited the car and demanded the owner hand over the keys, which were attached to the owner’s belt, the report states, adding that Whitaker threatened to physically assault the man if he refused and pulled his arm back as if he was going to punch the car owner in the face.
The suspect then fled the area on foot.
Officers canvassed the area but were unable to locate the suspect. Police say video footage later collected supported the victim’s storyline of what happened.
Shortly after the attempted carjacking was reported, emergency dispatch received a report of a possible robbery at a convenience store in St. George. The caller said a man walked into the store, approached one of the cashiers and demanded cash from the register.
He then threatened the employee and a customer with a skateboard that he held up in a “threatening manner,” the report states, adding that the man told the employee he would physically assault them if they refused.
The clerk emptied the register of cash and placed it on the counter for the man, who grabbed it and fled from the store on foot, according to the report. He was located by officers shortly thereafter and identified as Whitaker.
When police searched Whitaker prior to being transported to jail, they say they found cash in his front pocket, an exact match to the amount taken during the incident, and the money was returned to the store.
Whitaker was booked into jail and later charged with two first-degree felony counts of aggravated robbery and one second-degree felony count of aggravated assault, as well as misdemeanor evading.
He remained in custody until Aug. 30, 2022, when he entered into a 24-month plea agreement with the courts wherein his guilty plea would be held in abeyance, as long as complied with the terms of the agreement, obtain mental health treatment in Salt Lake City, pay a fine and restitution and commit no law violations. If he complied, his case would be dismissed.
Following Sunday’s arrest, Whitaker is facing one second-degree felony count of robbery. He 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.
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