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A tipster who recognized a security camera photo circulated by Layton police led detectives to an arrest and alleged confession in a series of Davis County convenience store robberies.

Layton police Lt. Shawn Horton said Friday that a 36-year-old Kaysville man was taken into custody late Thursday afternoon. During questioning, he allegedly confessed not only to holdups of the same Layton Sinclair convenience store on Oct. 8 and 9, but also said he had committed three more robberies in the Bountiful area since May.

The suspect was booked into the Davis County Jail on suspicion of five first-degree felony counts of aggravated robbery. He remained behind bars Friday in lieu of $30,000 bail.

As a result of the arrest and confession, Horton said, a 33-year-old man arrested earlier this week as a suspect in one of the holdups will not be charged, though he remained in the Davis County Jail without bail for an unrelated probation violation.

Horton said the suspect now held in the series of robberies told detectives how he had pointed a finger from within his hooded sweatshirt to simulate a handgun and demanded cash in each of the five holdups.

It was during the latest robbery, in Layton on Wednesday, that the crime spree began to unravel. The clerk refused to hand over the money and a brief fight ensued. During the struggle, the suspect's hat and hood came loose, exposing his face to the security camera.

He broke away, pulled a knife and finally fled with the cash, but Layton police soon released images of the suspect to the media. The man was recognized by an acquaintance, who called to report him.

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