ST. GEORGE — A 19-year-old was arrested at gunpoint over the weekend after reports began filtering in alleging the teen had multiple stolen firearms, police say.

On Saturday evening, Washington County Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched to the Warner Valley area on a report alleging that a suspect, identified as Raymond Louis Maynard, 19, had stolen firearms, according to charging documents filed with the court. Upon arrival, deputies conducted an area canvass but were unable to locate Maynard.

During this time, the St. George Consolidated Communications Center received a 911 call from Maynard, who reportedly said he was in St. George. 

Deputies say an officer in Washington City provided the same account about the stolen firearms and said Maynard was staying at an apartment complex on Riverside Drive, drove a white Subaru and had five active warrants for his arrest. 

While driving through the apartment complex parking lot shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, deputies spotted Maynard driving a white Subaru through the parking and blocked him from leaving. 

Based on statements indicating he had multiple firearms, Maynard was taken into custody at gunpoint, the report states.

The deputy noted in the report that he chose the felony stop because he did not want Maynard “to access or use any firearms that he might have in his possession against me.” 

Maynard was taken into custody without incident. When asked if there was anything illegal inside the vehicle, Maynard reportedly said there were firearms in the car, and a search ensued. 

Deputies recovered two shotguns that were located in a case sitting on the back seat, along with a black .22 caliber rifle with a serial number that matched a gun reported stolen from Santa Clara in 2023. A Glock 43 was also stolen during the same incident, the deputy noted in the report.

Maynard said he had purchased the rifle at a pawn shop for $330 but later changed his story and said he bought the firearm at a yard sale from a man who said he had purchased the rifle at a pawn shop in St. George, according to the report.

Maynard was arrested and transported to the Washington County Purgatory Correctional Facility on one third-degree felony count of unauthorized possession of a firearm and two misdemeanor charges for a suspected open container of alcohol in the vehicle and possession of nicotine charges. 

In addition to having outstanding warrants, Maynard was also in a plea and abeyance agreement on a prior theft case filed in July 2023.  

In the 2023 case, officers responded to Walmart on Pioneer Road in St. George on a retail theft reported that evening involving two males who reportedly left the store with more than $1,350 in merchandise without paying for the items. 

Maynard was later identified as one of the suspects and was arrested and charged with misdemeanor retail theft. In October, he entered into a plea and abeyance agreement with the state, which means the charge would be dismissed as long as he complied with the conditions of the agreement. 

Following the arrest on Sunday, officers learned that Maynard was reportedly involved in an altercation with a significant other, and during the argument, he attempted to stop the victim from walking away, which is when a bystander stopped to ask if they needed any help, which is when the victim got into the vehicle.

As the bystander attempted to drive away, the suspect reportedly tried to stop the motorist by sticking his head in the vehicle, and once the car drove away, the suspect reportedly proceeded to text and call the victim more than 150 times. Officers interviewed the suspect at the jail, and later Maynard was charged with multiple offenses, including assault and harassment. 

Maynard made an initial appearance in 5th District Court on both cases on Monday. A preliminary hearing for the firearms case was scheduled to take place March 5, while an appearance on the assault case is scheduled to take place one day later in St. George.  The suspect remains in custody at the writing of this report. 

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.

Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2024, all rights reserved.