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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — A former Utah lumber truck driver was charged with robbery after authorities said he cloaked himself in ski gear and held up a string of Salt Lake City banks and credit unions.
Christopher Ryan Huntzinger, 42, was charged Monday with six counts of aggravated robbery in 3rd District Court, prosecutors said.
Huntzinger is accused of donning parkas, beanies, scarves and sunglasses from January to March and handing notes to tellers saying he had a gun and demanding they fill plastic grocery bags with cash, court documents show. No gun was seen in any of the robberies, police say.
In at least one instance, the robber's winter get-up didn't include gloves, and fingerprints were left on a note, Cottonwood Heights police Sgt. Dan Bartlett said.
In addition, police said, Huntzinger's own mother saw a surveillance video and recognized a gray, patterned scarf she had given her son for Christmas.
The six banks and credit unions were located in downtown Salt Lake City and in surrounding foothills.
It wasn't immediately clear Tuesday if Huntzinger had an attorney.
Police say they arrested him last week at the home of a friend. Court documents say he told authorities that he had robbed the banks and acted alone.
Court records show Huntzinger has also gone by "Jonny Utah," mimicking the name of the surfer and bank robber played by Keanu Reeves in the film "Point Break."
Huntzinger was being held in Salt Lake County Jail, with an initial court appearance set for Thursday.
He previously pleaded guilty to drug and alcohol charges in district courts in northern Utah.
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