"It is not typical St. George," said Lt. Barry Golding, a 13-year veteran of the police department. And the fact that investigators are looking for three different robbers is a concern, he said.

"That's what's a little scary about this," Golding said.

The first of the robberies occurred March 1 when a man walked into a Credit Union Services Center and demanded money from the teller and pulled out a handgun. The teller gave the man an undisclosed amount of cash, and he fled.

About two weeks later, a branch of the Beehive Credit Union was hit, this time by a robber using a similar style. He stole an undisclosed amount of money and fled on a bike. A dye pack exploded a short distance from the financial institution. A police dog tracked the scent for at least two miles to a department store, where investigators found what appeared to be dye-stained money, but the trail ended there.

Then on Saturday, a Washington Mutual branch was robbed, but this time the robber handed the teller a note demanding money. He then unzipped his leather jacket and pointed to a handgun. After the teller gave him the money, he fled on foot.

Because the descriptions of the three robbers are different, "I think we're dealing with three separate people," said FBI Special Agent Jeff Goings.

Golding attributes the rash of robberies to the fast-growing community and an increase in the flow of traffic through St. George.

"Odds are they'll be caught," Goings said.

To that end, investigators asked those with information about the robberies to call either the FBI at 435-628-7499 or St. George police at 435-634-5000.

jhill@sltrib.com