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Sam Penrod reporting Last night's arrest of a Pleasant Grove man suspected of trying to rob a Utah County credit union may help police solve six other robberies.
Investigators say the man has confessed to holding up six banks and credit unions in recent months.
After seven apparent robberies, the suspect's luck finally ran out last night, outside of this Lehi credit union, when the would be robber was caught as he tried to get away.
30- year old Justin Welcker of Pleasant Grove, is accused of going into the Alpine Credit Union at 5:30 last night and robbing it at gunpoint.
Witnesses saw the suspect run into the back of a nearby motel, where he dumped his disguise and walked out the front door.
But Lehi police quickly swarmed the area, and Welcker was arrested outside of the Days Inn motel, after a short foot chase.
Investigators questioned Welcker for several hours last night and according to police, he confessed to six other robberies in Lehi, Riverton, Provo and Orem over the last several months.
FBI agents say Welcker's arrest, and the arrest of a separate suspect last week, has helped clear 20- bank robberies that had been unsolved.
George Dougherty: " ALL THESE BANK ROBBERIES WE'VE HAD AND NOW THE ARREST OF THESE PEOPLE WHO WERE ARMED AND DANGEROUS IT'S NICE TO HAVE THEM OFF THE STREET."
Justin Welcker is being held in the Utah County jail on charges of aggravated robbery. Bail has been set at 50- thousand dollars.
So far this year, there have been 56 bank robberies in Utah.
