This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2014, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Cottonwood Heights police say they have ended the bank-robbing career of the so-called "Ski Bum Bandit."
Police Sgt. Corbett Ford said detectives, following up on investigative leads and tips, caught up with the suspect about 10 p.m. Monday at a residence in Kaysville.
Christopher Ryan Huntzinger, 42, was taken into custody without incident and booked into the Salt Lake County jail, where he was being held without bail Tuesday on suspicion of three first-degree felony counts of aggravated robbery.
Ford said the initial booking stems from three holdups at Cottonwood Heights financial institutions between Jan. 24 and March 11, when the suspect allegedly robbed the University Federal Credit Union at 7720 S. Highland Drive.
Two other robberies in which Huntzinger is the prime suspect were in Salt Lake City.
The robber did not display any weapons during the holdups, but presented tellers with notes indicating he was armed with a handgun and demanding money.
Ford said the suspect became known as the "Ski Bum Bandit" because of his propensity for wearing knitted ski caps and ski-themed clothing.
A jail probable cause statement revealed that fingerprints on at least one of the robber's notes identified Huntzinger — whom police say has a history of drug abuse — as the suspect. Detectives also showed security camera images to employees at an unidentified business where Huntzinger worked and they confirmed he and the suspect were the same person.
When arrested, Huntzinger allegedly told a friend, in the presence of officers, that "he was sorry and that he did a robbery, and [now] it's over." After being advised of his Miranda rights, Huntzinger purportedly acknowledged the robberies under questioning.
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