Judge hesitantly accepts plea deal for man who shot up, burglarized St. George Sunglass Hut

Written by Chris Reed
August 4, 2023

ST. GEORGE — A man who shot out the front window of the Sunglass Hut at The Shoppes at Zion in the middle of the night will spend the next year in jail. This came after a judge accepted, with some vocal hesitation, a guilty plea deal struck with prosecutors.

Jason Ivan Fierro, with attorney Michael Lastowski, listens to Judge John Walton during a hearing at the 5th District Courthouse, St. George, Utah, Aug. 3, 2023 | Photo by Chris Reed, St. George News

Jason Ivan Fierro appeared before Judge John Walton at the 5th District Courthouse Thursday morning.

Fierro pled guilty to firing multiple bullets just after midnight at the sunglasses store at 250 N. Red Cliffs Dr. on April 4, when the business was closed. That led to a manhunt by St. George Police, who arrested Fierro the next day.

In May, Washington County prosecutors agreed to a plea deal where a second-degree felony charge of possessing a dangerous weapon and a third-degree theft charge were dismissed. In return, Fierro pleaded guilty to third-degree felonies of entering a building unlawfully, burglary, discharge of a firearm and destruction of property.

In the plea statement, Fierro admitted to shooting two rounds from a Glock 17 (9 mm) pistol into the front door of the Sunglass Hut, then entering and taking merchandise from inside.

He also pled guilty to a drug possession misdemeanor. In return, prosecutors agreed to one year of jail to be served at Purgatory Correction Facility. In court, Fierro told the judge he is concerned with harassment problems in prison, and said he is already being bullied at Purgatory.

“There are people who don’t agree with me,” Fierro said. “They’re giving me (explicative).”

Noting the nature of the crime, as well as several other convictions for Fierro, who is turning 27 on Sunday, Walton spoke said he was hesitant before accepting the plea deal.

A man shot through the Sunglass Hut’s windows, St. George, Utah, April 3, 2023 | Photo courtesy of Don Sherer, St. George News

“You’ve made argument that prison isn’t the best thing for you,” Walton said. “Your attorney has made the argument — I’m not convinced.”

Each of the third-degree counts carried the potential for up to five years in prison. Ultimately, Walton set the sentence to one year in jail with a 36-month probation period afterward. Fierro must also complete drug treatment, counseling and is restricted from possessing or purchasing a firearm.

Walton warned Fierro that one mistake will revoke the conditions of the plea bargain. 

“If you go to treatment and you don’t successfully complete any of these treatment programs, then you’ll be violating probation,” Walton said. “And I can tell you right now, it’s almost a foregone conclusion that prison would be the only other option at that point.”

Fierro replied, “Yes, your honor” after Walton asked him if he understood. 

While in jail for the Sunglass Hut burglary, Fierro also pled guilty to a misdemeanor charge of shoplifting at the Washington City Home Depot, getting a suspended 20-day jail sentence and fine.

Since 2018, along with the Sunglass Hut and Home Depot pleas, Fierro has convictions for criminal trespass, two counts of misdemeanor assault, destruction of property, domestic violence and consumption of alcohol by a minor.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2023, all rights reserved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Chris Reed serves as a reporter for St. George News, where he has been honored with several awards from the Society of Professional Journalists for his work, including first-place accolades. He started his journalism career as a sports reporter and editor in Southern California where he once compared shoe sizes with Shaquille O'Neal and exchanged mix tapes with members of the Los Angeles Kings. After growing up in the San Fernando Valley learning karate skills from Mr. Miyagi and spending a decade in Las Vegas mostly avoiding the casinos, he came to St. George for love and married his soulmate, a lifetime Southern Utah resident. He is the proud father of two boys, his youngest a champion against both autism and Type 1 diabetes.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @STGNews

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