Washington City police have arrested a woman suspected of stealing 15 antique gold coins and trading them at face value at a Zions Bank branch.
The 24-year-old woman found the gold coins stored at the home of a family she was living with in Washington, north of St. George, said police Lt. Ed Kantor. The woman had moved from Missouri into their house about a month ago after befriending their daughter on the Internet.
On March 16, the woman brought 15 of the $20 gold pieces into the bank in St. George and exchanged them at face value, when in fact they are worth at least $1,000 apiece based on the price of the gold alone, said Rob Brough, a spokesman for Zions Bank. She told the bank teller she needed the money to pay for groceries at a nearby Wal-Mart.
She was caught Wednesday when she came back to the bank with the daughter, Kantor said. A teller recognized her, and she was arrested on suspicion of theft.
The family didn't know the coins were missing until police told them, but the coins are now secure in a Zions Bank vault and bank security officials are arranging to return them, Brough said.
