Utah Subway employee charged with masterminding plan to rob shop

A Heber City Subway employee is accused of plotting an elaborate restaurant heist — complete with code phrases — that involved recruiting two juveniles.

Heber City police suspected from the beginning that an employee had been involved in the robbery, according to charges filed against a 21-year-old man Tuesday in 3rd District Court.

The man allegedly recruited two juveniles and a 25-year-old man to help him pull off the robbery at the Subway at 680 S. Main St. where he worked.

One of the juveniles, J.H., told police the 21-year-old gave him a detailed plan of how to rob the Subway, including what time to enter, how to detain the employees, and how and when to exit the shop.

The teen entered the store on May 5 with a bandana over his face and a hoodie pulled up over his head and went into the bathroom briefly. He then forced two female employees into an industrial freezer and pulled an industrial oven in front of the door and locked the wheels so the employees couldn't get out, charges state.

Then he headed for a safe and stole approximately $3,000 before fleeing.

Police said the robber conducted himself so that no security cameras could capture his face.

J.H. then allegedly fled to a nearby apartment complex and hopped into a taxi that the 21-year-old had waiting for him.

The taxi took him to Valley View Mall in West Valley City, where he met another juvenile, A.S., who is related to the 21-year-old, according to charges. A.S. told police she was told, in code, to "pick up a body" at the mall.

A.S. took about $2,700 of the $3,000 to give to the 21-year-old.

J.H. got to keep about $300 for his efforts, court records show.

A 25-year-old also was allegedly involved in the initial planning, but told police that he backed out.

Police said the two men, however, were sitting outside when J.H. committed the robbery, and that one of them wanted to video tape the police response.

The men were each charged with two counts of aggravated kidnapping, and one count of robbery, along with burglary and theft counts.

jstecklein@sltrib.com

Twitter: @sltribjanelle