This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2017, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A woman who acted — at least initially — as an unwitting getaway driver for her former husband as he robbed numerous Salt Lake Valley businesses last summer, has been sentenced to jail time.
Kellie Lynn Kuepper told investigators after her arrest that she had been driving Mathew Alan Kuepper around to local businesses because she thought he was buying drugs — but that she "eventually knew Mathew was committing robberies," according to charging documents.
The Kueppers were arrested shortly after the June 23 armed robbery of a Papa John's Pizza in Cottonwood Heights — the 21st robbery which Mathew Kuepper was charged with committing between June 7 and June 23.
Mathew Kuepper, 32, was charged in 3rd District Court with 21 counts of first-degree felony aggravated robbery, as well as third-degree felony counts of possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person and failure to respond to a police officer's command to stop.
He pleaded guilty in August to four of the aggravated robbery counts and the other charges were dismissed. In November, he was sentenced to prison for up to life.
Kellie Kuepper, 31, was charged with nine counts of aggravated robbery, and pleaded guilty in October to four lesser counts of second-degree felony robbery.
On Monday, Judge Elizabeth Hruby-Mills ordered Kellie Kuepper to spend 105 days in jail, which is in addition to about 50 days she had already spent behind bars, the court docket shows.
The sentence is part of a 60-month probation, which includes substance abuse, mental health and domestic violence evlauations and treatment, if recommended, prosecutors said.
The Kueppers were jointly ordered to pay $533 to six of the businesses that were robbed, but the restitution issue is to remain open for other businesses still in the process of providing information about their losses.
Mathew Kuepper told police following his arrest that he had relapsed on heroin, was kicked out of his parents' house and had been robbing businesses to support his drug habit, charges state. He noted that the black handgun gun he was using in the robberies was a toy.