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TAYLORSVILLE — A man has been arrested in connection with several convenience store robberies, including a 7-Eleven Wednesday morning where he used a hatchet, police said.
Cory Whipple, 37, was arrested Tuesday in connection with a 7-Eleven robbery and a previous robbery on April 11. Detectives are also considering him as a possible suspect in connection with a Taco Bell robbery at 3197 W. 5400 South that occurred on April 23. Unified Police Lt. Brian Lohrke said one of the previous robberies also involved a hatchet and the other involved a hatchet and knife.
"I'm not sure if he was heavily intoxicated or under the influence of some other narcotic, he just can't seem to remember if he did the Taco Bell robbery or not," Lohrke said. "Which is kind of odd to us, but he seems like he's being truthful about it."
Unified police were notified of the most recent robbery around 1:20 a.m. at the 7-Eleven at 3180 W. 5400 South. Whipple entered the store and produced a hatchet before demanding cash from the clerk, police said.
The clerk didn’t cooperate with Whipple's demands and he ran out of the store before attempting to rob a second employee who was standing outside the 7-Eleven, according to Lohrke. Whipple then ran northbound and got into a dark-colored Jeep Cherokee. A witness saw him get into the Jeep and followed him before losing sight of the vehicle.
A West Valley police K-9 officer later spotted the Jeep parked in the driveway of a residence in the area and called for backup officers. Police contacted a male and female who were standing in the back of the driveway area, and upon further investigation, “conclusive video” was discovered which led to the arrest of the two people.
Details about the woman and her involvement were not immediately available, but police said she was later released from custody.
More information will be posted as it becomes available.
Contributing: Peter Samore
