Jailed man may be tied to armed robberies

WEST VALLEY CITY — Investigators are trying to determine if a man arrested in a bank heist in West Valley City can be linked to other recent robberies.

Just after 5 p.m. Monday, a man walked into Chase Bank, 3340 S. Redwood Road, handed a note to the teller demanding money and displayed a gun, said West Valley Police Capt. Tom McLachlan.

Surveillance video was given to the media. After broadcasting pictures of the incident, McLachlan said his detectives received numerous tips all pointing to the same man.

Investigators staked out several places Wednesday that the man was known to frequent. That paid off for them at a house near 4500 West and 5600 South, where the man's car was spotted. He was arrested without incident, McLachlan said.

The tips, combined with fingerprint evidence, resulted in the arrest of 21-year-old Rick Nelson. A federal hold was placed on Nelson in the Salt Lake County Jail for the bank robbery. Some of the money stolen from the Chase Bank, some of it stained from a dye pack, was recovered.

Detectives from other agencies were looking Thursday into whether Nelson could be linked to recent armed robberies in their jurisdictions.