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FBI arrests man on suspicion of Centerville credit union robbery, bomb threat

By Mark Shenefelt - | Oct 18, 2021

Photo supplied, AdobeStock

Handcuffs and fingerprints

CENTERVILLE — Police and FBI agents tracked down a suspect in a Centerville credit union robbery in which a man threatened to set off a bomb and then apologized to tellers as he left with a bag of cash.

Samuel Atchley, 29, remained held without bail in the Davis County Jail on Monday, awaiting potential federal charges in the robbery of a Mountain America Credit Union branch Friday afternoon.

A man gave a teller a note saying he had a bomb strapped to him and no one would be hurt if they cooperated, a Centerville police probable cause statement said. He demanded cash in a bag and told the teller not to put in a dye pack, a device that explodes to spray red dye on stolen money and the suspect. The teller gave him a bag containing $688 and a GPS tracker device.

“As he was taking it, he apologized to the teller, stating he was sorry and that he didn’t want to be dragged into this, but two men grabbed him and made him do it,” the arrest affidavit said.

Police reviewed surveillance video from a nearby store and got a partial license plate number from a Mitsubishi Outlander seen leaving with the fleeing man at the wheel, the arrest affidavit said. The Outlander, registered to Atchley, was found several hours later at a Murray motel, and FBI agents found Atchley and arrested him in the parking lot.

The arrest affidavit said Atchley asked for an attorney and did not answer questions. Agents said they found clothing matching that worn by the man at the credit union. According to the arrest document, a woman who was with Atchley said he told her that he robbed the credit union, gave a phony story about a bomb and that he got rid of the GPS tracker.

He was jailed on suspicion of first-degree felony aggravated robbery, second-degree felony threat of terrorism and class A misdemeanor theft.

The FBI placed a federal detainer on Atchley, indicating he will be charged in federal court, the usual venue for bank robbery cases.

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