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Serial robber who used TRAX as getaway vehicle arrested by cops waiting for him at station

Posted at 5:22 PM, Mar 06, 2016
and last updated 2016-03-06 19:22:37-05

SALT LAKE CITY — Police have arrested a man in connection with three aggravated robberies where the suspect fled via public transportation, and the man was captured after the third crime by officers who were waiting for him at his usual TRAX station.

According to a statement of probable cause from the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office, Benjamin Godfrey was arrested Thursday after he robbed a coffee shop and fled on a TRAX train.

Godfrey allegedly robbed a Starbucks on 80 South Main Street on February 29. He allegedly had a hand in a pocket, which he used to insinuate he had a weapon while telling the clerk to empty the register. He fled on foot and boarded a TRAX train.

On March 2, the man allegedly robbed a Massage Envy, located at 655 East and 400 South, using the same methods as in the prior crime, down to disembarking from TRAX at the same station as before.

When the man allegedly robbed a Beans and Brews at 268 South State Street on March 3, police were waiting for him at his usual TRAX station–where they were able to take him into custody. Godfrey admitted to the robberies post-Miranda, according to the PC statement.

After his arrest, police determined the man is the same suspect who robbed a Subway store in Sandy on February 7. He was identified after a review of photos released in connection with that robbery.