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Gene Kennedy Reporting A gas station robber met his match around midnight. The clerk was smarter than he thought. This was one case where a gut feeling really paid off.
The clerk at the Tesoro station at 2322 E. 4500 South saw the suspect pull up, but he didn't fill-up. He just sat in his car. That was the red flag. The clerk felt uneasy and wrote the man's license plate down.
Sheriff's deputies say when the suspect walked in and said he had a weapon, she gave him money and he drove off. The robber didn't know that the clerk had his license plate number before the crime even happened.
#clerk
When sheriff's deputies ran a check, it turned out to be the suspect's car. He used his own car as the getaway vehicle.
When he drove home to the Cooper Apartments, he tried to cover his tracks by parking at a neighboring apartment complex. But police knew where he lived.
Turns out, the suspect had gotten a ticket just a few days ago and that had his address on it.
Police went to his apartment, arrested the 29-year-old man and have booked him into Salt Lake County Jail.
Officers say this was not the brightest criminal up against a smart cashier.
Lt. Rod Norton, Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office: "I want to give a huge amount of credit to the clerk. She was heads up. That made the difference to help us apprehend this person."
When the suspect robbed the gas station, he never actually had a weapon. But simply threatening that you have one makes this an armed robbery. Police take those threats very seriously.
