What started as a routine youth camp stay at a La Verkin hotel turned into a weekend crime scene, after staff reported a man allegedly trying to swipe luggage belonging to children and making off with a bag full of prescription medications. Police say the suspect hid in a janitorial closet while wearing a camp-staff jacket, ran when he was discovered, and ultimately touched off a multi-agency search that ended in a nearby trailer. Authorities say the episode stretched across more than one hotel and racked up several thousand dollars in damage.
Hotel staff flagged suspicious man
La Verkin police were called to the Best Western at 535 N. Main after camp staff reported a man acting suspiciously in a hallway outside rooms assigned to the youth group. Officers reviewed surveillance video and say it showed 31-year-old Enrique Ibarra "attempting to take a large red duffel bag containing medications," which camp staff estimated was worth more than $1,500. Additional backpacks were found in the janitorial closet where he had allegedly been hiding. Officers from La Verkin, Washington County sheriff's deputies and a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter joined the search in the surrounding area before locating the suspect, according to KSLNewsRadio.
Police: suspect flooded another room, then found in trailer
Investigators say Ibarra had earlier entered another nearby hotel and "flooded the room, causing extensive water damage that extended from the room down into the hotel lobby." Police say they found Ibarra inside a trailer at about 7 a.m. Sunday and arrested him. He was later booked and charged with a slate of felonies and misdemeanors, per KSLNewsRadio.
Charges and what comes next
Reported charges include aggravated commercial obstruction, two counts of burglary of a dwelling, theft and causing property damage, trespassing, vehicle burglary and theft of services. Felony counts will move through the Fifth Judicial District in Washington County. The Fifth District handles felony matters for the county, and members of the public can check the Utah Courts public case search for docket and hearing information at Utah Courts.
Police and hotel response
La Verkin city officials say camp staff cooperated with investigators and that hotel employees estimated the water damage at several thousand dollars. Anyone with information related to the incident is asked to contact the La Verkin Police Department. Contact details and non-emergency numbers are listed on the city's police page at La Verkin Police Department.
