This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2011, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
The suspect in the robbery of a West Jordan credit union over the weekend left police a big clue as to his whereabouts: a receipt with his name on it.
James Brent Milligan, 52, was arrested late Saturday after investigators said they linked him to an armed robbery at Cyprus Credit Union, 1381 W. 9000 South, earlier the same day.
According to a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court, Milligan, of Midvale, entered the bank, flashed a gun and passed a note to a teller demanding cash. The teller gave Milligan a wad of money that contained a dye packet.
Milligan then demanded cash from a second teller before leaving the bank. He apparently tossed a burlap bag he used during the robbery in the parking lot, upon realizing some of the cash had been stained with red dye, the complaint states. But Milligan didn't notice he'd left behind another critical piece of evidence — a receipt from a local pawn shop with his signature on it, according to authorities.
Police used the receipt to track Milligan to an address near 8000 South and Ivy Drive (600 West) and served a search warrant on the property.
Milligan was taken into custody, but not before a bomb squad canvassed the scene after pipe bombs were discovered in the garage. Police recovered a black airsoft handgun at the scene that matched the description of the weapon used during the Cyprus Credit Union robbery.
Milligan is suspected in other bank robberies, including an Oct. 1 heist at a Wells Fargo near 2640 W. 9000 South, and a robbery at University Credit Union, 8952 S. Redwood Road, last month.
He faces up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted of felony robbery of a credit union. He will appear for a detention hearing Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Samuel Alba.
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