MARRIOTT-SLATERVILLE, Weber County — A man was arrested for allegedly robbing a convenience store clerk this week, and the employee on duty at the time was his mother, police said.
Now investigators are trying to determine whether the mother played a role in orchestrating her own robbery.
David Conerly, 24, was arrested Wednesday and booked into the Weber County Jail for investigation of aggravated robbery, aggravated kidnapping and three counts of possession of a firearm by a restricted person.
On Sunday, investigators say an employee at Maverik, 502 N. 2000 West, went to her car about 10:20 a.m. to make a bank deposit of cash, checks and receipts. Her car was parked on the side of the store where there is no surveillance camera, said Weber County Sheriff's Lt. Mark Lowther.
As the woman was getting into her car, a man wearing a black mask approached her and placed a "cold and metal" object at the back of the clerk's neck that she believed was a gun, according to police.
The man got into the back seat on the driver's side and forced the woman to drive to Slaterville Park, 2100 W. 250 North. Once there, the woman said the man used plastic zip ties to secure her hands to the steering wheel, took the money and walked off to another vehicle, according to Lowther.
The woman got the attention of a passing motorist, who got a pair of scissors to free her and called 911.
While police were investigating the scene and questioning the clerk, a man who lives nearby approached investigators and told them he witnessed a suspicious vehicle parked in the same spot earlier that morning where the clerk ended up.
While this was happening, police asked the shaken clerk if she wanted to call a family member to be with her.
"The victim was asked if she wanted to call any family. She stated, yes, she wanted to call her son, (who) coincidentally was driving the exact same vehicle the witnesses had seen parked there previously," Lowther said.
That began a series of questions for both Conerly and his mother. They were interviewed again Wednesday, and the son was arrested.
"He initially said he set (the robbery) up, that his mother knew nothing about it, that he wore a mask and tried to disguise his voice and that she wasn't involved. Prior to being booked into the jail, he recanted that story and stated that she was involved and they planned it out together," Lowther said.
The mother adamantly denied having any involvement in the robbery. As of Thursday, she had not been arrested. But Lowther said she was still considered a person of interest as the investigation continued.
Conerly told police he burned the deposit after stealing it. A search warrant was served on his Ogden home, and Lowther said evidence of burned checks was found, but not of burned currency. Three firearms were also seized in the house.
Conerly was convicted of a violent crime when he was a juvenile, according to a probable cause affidavit.
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