Three years ago, Julian Mark Arnold was honored by the Salt Lake Police Department as an Outstanding Civilian of the Year for his role in apprehending two bandits on a downtown street.
Today, Arnold, of Orem, is in the Salt Lake County Jail, accused of being a bandit himself. So is his friend, Phillip E. Hollen. And Arnold's wife, Thelma F. Arnold, is being sought by police, who have a warrant charging her with robbery.The three are suspects in at least 10 holdups that have occurred during the past six months. More than $9,000 has been stolen in the robberies, detectives said.
Arnold, 30, is charged with two counts of aggravated robbery and is being investigated in connection with a half-dozen others in Salt Lake City, Sandy, Murray, Orem, unincorporated Salt Lake County and in Laramie, Wyo.
Hollen, 24, is charged with three counts of aggravated robbery and is also being investigated in others.
Thelma Arnold, 24, is charged in connection with one robbery and may be a suspect in others, police said.
The three became suspects after Salt Lake County Sheriff's Sgt. Jerry Holt received an anonymous phone call a few weeks ago. "I was told to look at (Arnold and Hollen)," said Holt. Photo spreads were arranged, and victims began identifying the three as the bandits, according to Holt and several criminal complaints that have been filed in 3rd Circuit Court.
Arnold and Hollen were arrested last week and booked into jail, where they are being held in lieu of bail. Mrs. Arnold remained at large Tuesday afternoon.
Salt Lake police are clearing three cases with their arrests, said robbery detective B.L. Smith. Hollen and Arnold are suspects in two robberies at a Payless shoe store at 812 E. 21st South, and one holdup at Hardee's, 753 E. 21st South.
The sheriff's office has charged Hollen in connection with the robbery of a Payless shoe store at 727 E. 33rd South, and has charged Hollen and Arnold with the robbery of an Arby's restaurant at 2284 E. 39th South.
Murray has filed robbery charges against Arnold in the holdup of a Napa Auto Parts store, 6830 S. State.
In each of the robberies, a bandit used a small automatic handgun to demand money. At the shoe stores, the bandit always asked for a certain shoe size, and sometimes tied up the employees with rope and duct tape. In the restaurant robberies, the bandits waited until closing time before robbing the employees, who were then tied up with duct tape, said Holt.
Orem police are investigating Hollen and Arnold in the robbery of a department store. During that robbery, Arnold, who worked at the store, was held up at gunpoint by a man matching the description of Hollen, police said.