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Home » Public Safety » Centerville Police » Press Releases
Press Releases
Contact: Lt. Paul Child; PIO Centerville Police Dept. 292-8441
Date: April 21, 2010
Aggravated Kidnapping
On April 21, 2010, at 0042 hours, Centerville Police were dispatched to a suspicious Hispanic male at the Chevron Top Stop at 382 N. Market Place Drive. At 0044 hours, employees at Wendy’s, located at 363 N. Market Place Drive in Centerville, called 911 reporting that a Hispanic male was breaking into the restaurant. The Wendy’s and the Top Stop share the same parking lot. When officers arrived they found a Hispanic male adult lying under a Chevrolet Tahoe in the parking lot of Top Stop. He had been ran over, was unconscious and appeared to have life threatening injuries. As officers were calling for medical assistance and coordinating a landing zone for a medical helicopter, a 23 year old female approached and reported being kidnapped at knife point by the Hispanic male. Officers began receiving additional information indicating that the Hispanic male had attempted numerous robberies and assaults in addition to aggravated kidnapping. The Hispanic male has not been positively identified, but it is believed that he is 41 years old from Ogden.
The 23 year old white female reported that she was just leaving her work at the Smith’s Marketplace on 600 East in Salt Lake City when the Hispanic male forced his way into her car and threatened her with a knife. The suspect then forced the female to drive him towards Ogden in her car. As they approached Centerville, the kidnapped female told the man that the car was going to run out of gas so they took the exit and pulled into the Top Stop for gas. After stopping at the gas station, the suspect got out of the car and went into the store at which time the female escaped, running into a nearby business area and hid behind some shrubs.
The suspect initially entered Top Stop and came back out without contacting anyone in the store. However, he went back into the store and attempted to rob the store while trying to hide his face. The suspect claimed to have a gun and attempted to climb over the counter to get to the clerk but was pushed back by the clerk. The suspect then suddenly and without provocation attacked a man who had come into the store to make a purchase by striking the customer in the head twice knocking the customer down. The suspect was demanding the customer’s keys to his vehicle, but the customer was able to get up and push the suspect outside into the parking lot.
The suspect then ran over to the adjacent Wendy’s Restaurant and began pounding on the windows trying to get in. Inside the restaurant were four Wendy’s employees. Two of the employees reported that they thought they saw the suspect with a gun, so they retreated into a back room and locked themselves inside while calling for police. The suspect was able to force a door open, setting off the intrusion alarm while the two employees were on the phone with dispatch. The other two employees were then confronted by the suspect, and they fled out into the parking lot with the suspect chasing after them.
Once the suspect got out to the parking lot, he observed the male customer who had been assaulted leaving the parking lot in a Chevrolet Tahoe SUV. The suspect ran up to the front of the SUV and began violently pounding on the hood demanding that the victim surrender the vehicle to him. Sometime during this encounter while the victim was attempting to drive away the suspect fell down and was run over by the SUV.
The suspect was treated at the scene by South Davis Metro Fire Department and then airlifted to the hospital by AirMed helicopter The extent of his injuries is unknown at this time. The suspect was unconscious and unresponsive.
The investigation into this incident is jointly being conducted by Centerville and Salt Lake City Police Detectives. At this point, it is unclear what the motive was behind the bizarre behavior of the suspect. There is no known connection between the 23 year old kidnapping victim and the suspect. Some witnesses indicated that the suspect may have been under the influence of drugs. The suspect faces multiple felony charges which will be screened through appropriate jurisdictions. These charges may include aggravated kidnapping, auto theft, theft, aggravated assault, multiple counts of aggravated robbery, burglary and criminal mischief. None of the victims in this incident suffered serious injuries. The female possibly had a small injury to her neck, and the customer at Top Stop suffered muscle tissue damage to his face. The employees at Wendy’s were emotionally shaken but unharmed.
Contact: Lt. Paul Child; PIO Centerville Police Dept. 292-8441
Date: November 3, 2009
Bank Robbery
On November 2, 2009, at 3:43 pm, Centerville Police Officers were dispatched to the Chase Bank in Centerville on a report of an armed robbery which had just occurred. The teller at Chase Bank told police that a white male adult wearing a green camouflage jacket, ball cap, mirrored sun glasses and army boots approached the teller stating “this is a robbery” and demanded money. The bank complied with the demands and the suspect began to leave. As he was leaving, the suspect dropped a black handgun onto the floor. The suspected picked up the gun and left on foot going south towards a nearby retail business district.
One of the officers canvassing the area located an employee at Dollar Cuts who observed a man matching the description of the robber who had parked a black Dodge pickup in the area of Dollar Cuts a few minutes before. At the time of the reported robbery Centerville Police were in the area looking for a black pickup which had been reported as driving recklessly and possibly was being driven by an impaired person. This was prior to the robbery. A plate number was given on the possible DUI situation but was one digit off and DMV records did not match the vehicle. Officers suspected that this truck may also be related to the robbery and noticed that the by changing one digit from a number to a letter the plate showed registered to a Dodge pickup matching the description of the truck related to the robbery. This Dodge truck was then located in the driveway of the registered owner in Bountiful on Spring Creek Drive and the witness from Dollar Cuts was driven past the truck and identified it as the one used by the suspect.
Centerville Police requested assistance from the FBI and local agencies including Bountiful Police. A search warrant was obtained for the suspect and items used in connection with the robbery. SWAT officers from Bountiful PD and Davis County Sheriff’s Office along with patrol officers from Centerville, West Bountiful and Bountiful Police surrounded the home. Attempts were made to call into the home by telephone but there was no answer. Officers then used a bull horn to call into the house, after which a 12 year old boy came to the door. The boy was removed from the home and taken into protective care by FBI agents. The boy advised that his father was in the home but the boy thought his dad was asleep. He also said that he saw that his dad had a black handgun in his black Dodge pickup that evening. SWAT officers eventually introduced teargas into the home through several windows and then made entry. The suspect was taken into custody in the home's kitchen area without injury to anyone. The suspect had to be decontaminated by South Davis Metro Fire before removing him from the scene, and the home needed to be ventilated thoroughly.
Officers recovered several items used in the robbery from the home including the gun. The suspect was severely impaired at the time of arrest and could not be interviewed. The suspect, William D. Walstrand, 33, of Bountiful was booked into Davis County Jail and was charged with aggravated robbery and possession of a dangerous weapon by a restricted person.
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