ST. GEORGE — Two suspects were arrested in Washington City over the weekend after allegedly stealing from two big-box retailers.

On Friday night, officers were dispatched to a retailer on Pioneer Road to follow up on a theft reported earlier that same day in St. George. 

Charging documents filed with the court allege a woman returned stolen merchandise from a store in exchange for cash. Immediately after, police say she went to a second retailer on Telegraph Street in Washington City to engage in similar criminal activity.

In St. George, officers met with an asset protection specialist who said the woman, identified as 36-year-old Stephanie Marie Roberts, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was seen at the customer service counter returning several items in exchange for a refund.  

“Except, Stephanie never paid for the items,” the officer noted. 

Store employees were unable to determine where the merchandise came from until they viewed the store’s security cameras, the report states.

The footage shows Roberts entering the store with a bottle of water and small personal items and grabbing a shopping cart before meeting up with a man, Nathan Michael Frost, 40, also from Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

Frost had been shopping inside the store before Roberts appeared and had items in his cart, as shown in the footage. Upon meeting up with Roberts, the two switch carts. Frost then walks away with the empty cart, while Roberts “goes straight to customer service where she returns the items,” in exchange for cash and a gift card, the report states. 

In the meantime, Frost is seen going through the checkout and then leaving the store. 

The report states that Roberts was paid more than $166 in refunds, much of which was refunded in cash. 

Meanwhile, officers responded to the store in Washington City on a retail theft and found Roberts, also the suspect in this case, and she was detained. When asked, Roberts handed over a South Dakota driver’s license issued to a different individual. She was later identified as Roberts by officers in Washington City. 

Store employees reportedly told officers they saw Roberts leave the store with $170 in merchandise she did not pay for, while Roberts told officers she “may have” walked out of the store without paying for a drink, but nothing more. 

During a search of the vehicle Roberts was seen loading the merchandise into, police say they found numerous identification documents that did not belong to Roberts, along with suspected methamphetamine and paraphernalia.

Officers were then advised that Roberts had been involved in the previous theft at the store on Pioneer Road in St. George.

While processing the scene on Telegraph Street, officers from St. George responded and spoke to Roberts, who had on different clothing than what was seen on surveillance. She reportedly admitted to being at the retailer in St. George but said she entered the store with items that she returned at the customer service desk and then left. 

When officers told her there were cameras located throughout the store, she changed her story and said she entered the store empty-handed and retrieved the items during a cart switch, but did not implicate Frost in the switch, telling officers she did not want to get anyone else in trouble, the officer noted.   

Roberts then told officers that she and Frost “were in town from South Dakota attending a funeral and needed money.” 

Police say Frost admitted he was in the store on Pioneer Road but claimed he put all of the items back on the shelf and denied meeting up with Roberts. 

When he was reminded there were cameras “everywhere,” Frost said he had handed the shopping cart off to Roberts and then had to leave the store after suffering stomach issues. 

Throughout the investigation, officers learned that both suspects had been banned from all stores owned by the retail chain.

Both suspects were arrested and transported to Purgatory Correctional Facility, each facing multiple charges, including one third-degree felony count of pattern of unlawful activity and two counts of retail theft and criminal trespass with intent to commit a crime, each a misdemeanor.  

Roberts also faces one felony count of possession of a controlled substance and one misdemeanor count each of providing false information to police and possession of another’s identifying documents.   

Frost faces second-degree felony possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance and third-degree felony count of transporting a controlled substance into a correctional facility. He also faces one misdemeanor count of criminal conspiracy.

The charges were filed in the two cases and both defendants made an initial appearance in court on Monday. Roberts was scheduled for a bond reduction hearing on Wednesday, while Frost is scheduled to appear for the same proceeding on April 25. Both remain in jail in Washington County 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.

Updated 1:50 p.m., April 19, 2024: Corrects two instances to show Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

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