Prints in snow may have helped Provo police end series of thefts

PROVO — Shoe prints in the snow led police to arrest an 18-year-old man who they believe is responsible for four recent robberies and one foiled attempt in Provo.

Sunday afternoon around 3 p.m. Provo officers responded to a business alarm at Allen's Super Save grocery store at 300 S. 655 East in Provo, said Provo Police Capt. Cliff Argyle.

Someone had broken into the pharmacy by climbing into the ceiling from a back room, then walking across to the pharmacy and breaking down through the ceiling, Argyle said. The man left by climbing back into the ceiling and onto the roof and then running away.

Following the footprints from the roof to the road, officers ended up at an empty stall in a parking lot in front of an apartment at 116 S. 700 East, Argyle said.

Neighbors told police they had seen a man running from the grocery store and he left in a car, which they described for police.

Around 6:30 p.m., a Provo officer spotted a car matching the description and pulled the driver over on a traffic stop, Argyle said.

During the conversation, the police officer discovered that the driver's shoes matched the prints left at the grocery store. He also found more than $1,000 worth of prescription drugs in the car, according to an affidavit of probable cause filed in 4th District Court.

The unusual shoe prints were also found at the scene of an aggravated robbery Dec. 1 at a Subway on 148 W. Bulldog Blvd., Argyle said.

After police got a search warrant and went through the man's house, they found more stolen items from the grocery store burglary as well as a burglary of a Reams grocery store at 2250 N. University Ave., from Oct. 14, Argyle said. Nearly $7,700 worth of drugs were stolen in that burglary, in which the burglar also allegedly entered and exited from the roof, according to the affidavit.

Police also found a black ski mask, replica air-soft, semi-automatic handgun and more clues that link the man to the robbery at Subway, as well as a robbery at Maverick on Nov. 26 and an attempted robbery from Crest at 700 E. 800 North on Dec. 1.

During the Crest robbery, a man pointed a gun at the clerk, who refused to give the man any money because he didn't believe the gun was real.

The man was arrested for investigation of two robberies, one attempted aggravated robbery, two business burglaries, theft and trespass.

He is being held on $50,000 cash-only bail for investigation of burglary, theft, aggravated robbery with a handgun, attempted aggravated robbery with a handgun and trespass.

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