St. George Police investigating assault on Halfway Wash Trail

ST. GEORGE, Utah (ABC4) — St. George Police are investigating an assault incident that occurred on the Halfway Wash Trail on Wednesday.

Police say a woman on the trail was assaulted in the area of 1300 West and 1130 North on Wednesday morning. She was taken to the hospital due to her injuries, and investigators say they’re still searching for the suspect.

Officers have not been able to interview the victim since she went to the hospital, but hope to learn more when they do. In the meantime, St. George Police are reviewing surveillance footage from cameras near the trail and are increasing patrols in the area.

Roman Gutierez regularly walks the Halfway Wash Trail, and is starting to rethink how and when him and his family walk it.

“I walk this trail around six or seven days a week,” Gutierez says. “I have my daughter with me. It’s a lot of young people walking around here every day.”

Police are urging people to be alert when using the trails, especially during the early morning or late hours.

“It’s always good to be careful,” says Tiffany Mitchell with the St. George Police Department. “We don’t want to put a bunch of fear in everybody, but it’s always good to be aware of your surroundings.”

Roman says he doesn’t feel unsafe himself, but he now thinks twice about his wife and daughter.

“We’re going to be more aware of where we walk in the morning,” Gutierez adds. “When I come here with my wife, I’ll come here a little bit later.”

Officer Mitchell says that if you are going to be walking the trails when it’s dark to consider bringing a friend or at least a way to protect yourself.

Police say anyone with information about what happened on the trail Wednesday morning should call them. St. George Police are hoping someone who was in the area might have seen something than can help identify the suspect.