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Suspect in robbery, car theft arrested at police station as he attempts to retrieve lost wallet

Posted at 9:47 PM, Mar 02, 2017
and last updated 2017-03-03 09:46:26-05

DRAPER, Utah — Draper police said a man who they were searching for left UTA police his phone number just two days before he committed two first-degree felonies.

William Russell Jackson, 43, was booked on two charges of aggravated robbery and a vehicle theft charge.

Police said on February 25th, Jackson filed a police report with UTA when he lost his wallet while riding a TRAX train. He left his phone number with detectives so they could call him if they found it.

Two days later, Draper Sgt. Chad Carpenter said Jackson went into Golden Tan on Park Blvd. and took a customer hostage as he demanded money from the salon's clerk.

"He was grabbing her and making demands of the employee," said Sgt. Carpenter. "I can imagine they would be terrified."

The clerk handed over the money and then Sgt. Carpenter said Jackson threatened the hostage he was holding to give him her car keys. She did and Jackson took off with the money and the customer's car.

Draper investigators thought about how Jackson might get around town before he allegedly stole the customer's car, so the teamed up with UTA police. As officers looked through surveillance from the salon and other stores, one of the UTA officers recognized Jackson as the same man who lost his wallet a few days earlier.

"That's why he didn't actually put two and two together when we called him to retrieve his wallet because, in his mind, I am imagining he didn't think we knew who he was," Carpenter said.