This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2015, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
It was a full-out blitz by law enforcement Wednesday afternoon, and soon a small army of police had sacked an armed robbery suspect with a football fetish.
Just before noon, a Weber County sheriff's deputy spotted a man matching the unique, facially tattooed description of the 26-year-old suspect in the area of 50th Street and Washington Boulevard in South Ogden, a public safety dispatcher said.
Within minutes, deputies were joined by police officers from South Ogden, Ogden and Riverdale — along with a Department of Public Safety helicopter and canine unit — in searching for the man.
Just before 1 p.m., he was taken into custody at a residence in the search area, the sheriff's office said.
Four other people at the home were detained and could face obstruction of justice charges for harboring a fugitive, police said.
The suspect was wanted in connection with the early Monday morning holdup of a Motel 6 in West Haven.
At first, the motel clerk told investigators, the 5-foot-9 suspect introduced himself as "Rich," chatting up the clerk about wanting to "walk on" as candidate for the Weber State University football team. He claimed he had lost a scholarship at Arizona State earlier.
However, once the lobby had cleared of guests, the suspect — who was wearing a "Weber State" logo sweatshirt — suddenly pulled a knife and demanded cash from the motel's till.
Court records show the suspect had been out on bail awaiting trial in 2nd District Court on a felony charge of possession of a firearm by a restricted person.
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