Robberies lead to arrest of UVSC student

Former UVSC student Ammon Hardin, 18, was arrested by the Provo Police Department on Dec. 10 after evidence linked him to three armed robberies and two break-ins.

On Nov. 27, a Provo Maverik convenience store was the target of Hardin’s first reported offense. Hardin reportedly held the clerk at gunpoint with a semi-automatic pistol and told the clerk to put money into a cardboard box. He then fled the scene on foot.

Hardin then held up Crest, another convenience store in Provo. The clerk at that store questioned Hardin about the authenticity of the gun he was carrying and asked him to shoot the gun to prove it was real. Hardin did not shoot and left the scene without getting any money from the clerk. That same day Hardin also robbed a Subway restaurant.

Eyewitness descriptions of the suspect and vehicle on the scene of the burglary at an Allen’s Super Save Mart led to Hardin’s arrest. The store was missing more than $1,000 worth of prescription medication from its pharmacy.

The vehicle eyewitnesses described aided police in the arrest as officers stopped a car that matched the getaway vehicle’s description. Footprints left behind in the snow at the scene of the crime matched those on the tread of the shoes Hardin was wearing. The design on the shoe was intricate enough for police to believe it was a definite match to the prints.

The Provo police officers found $1,000 worth of stolen prescription drugs inside the vehicle; which led to the police serving Hardin’s home with a search warrant.

Police arrived at Hardin’s home in Provo and found a backpack containing a replica handgun, a ski mask, as well as more stolen prescription drugs. The prescription drugs found in Hardin’s home then linked him to the burglary of a Reams grocery store that was also robbed earlier in December.

Both robberies occurred with a similar style of break in, where Hardin reportedly climbed onto the roof and broke in through the ceilings. A reported total of $7,700 worth of prescription drugs were stolen in the Reams burglary.

Hardin’s family told The College Times, "He’s a great guy; we’re stunned this happened.

Hardin was enrolled at UVSC this past semester, fall 2007. He is currently being held in the Utah County Jail for two counts of burglary, two counts of aggravated robbery, two counts of theft and one count of trespassing. His bail is set for $50,000.