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ST. GEORGE — A suspicious odor and false identity claims led to an early-morning arrest over the weekend of a fugitive wanted out of Texas for aggravated robbery and kidnapping, in addition to multiple charges filed in Washington County.
An officer patrolling the Main Street area became suspicious when he came upon the "strong odor" of marijuana smoke coming from a stairwell near the rear entrance of the former Kmart shortly after 3 a.m. Sunday in St. George.
The officer noticed a man sitting on the stairs who quickly came to his feet as soon as the patrol unit reversed direction. He started acting suspicious as the officer approached, according to charging documents filed with the court.
When asked, the man identified himself as Kevin Cook and said he was waiting for a bus to San Antonio, Texas. The officer noted the man appeared nervous when questioned about the marijuana smoke, and during the encounter, the man's "story changed multiple times," which further raised the officer's suspicions.