South Salt Lake police say a third person has been booked in connection with the robbery of an America First Credit Union branch at 3499 S. State. Brelyn Capri Sanchez, 37, was on probation when she was arrested and allegedly acknowledged driving the vehicle used to leave the scene, according to KSL.com. She is under investigation for aggravated robbery and for using a weapon or hoax weapon of mass destruction, the outlet reported.
What the investigation alleges
Police say a man later identified as Fidel Ybarra, 52, entered the credit union with a gray backpack and gave a teller a note demanding money while claiming to have a bomb. The teller believed the threat was real, and about $1,200 was taken before the man reportedly left in the passenger seat of a red Dodge Durango, KSL reported.
Investigators allege Ybarra later acknowledged having a faux bomb and shared details that, in their view, indicated involvement in the robbery. Police have not located the alleged device, according to KSL’s account of the booking affidavit. Ybarra faces investigation for aggravated robbery and use of a weapon or hoax weapon of mass destruction.
Camera footage and vehicle records form another part of the case described by police. Investigators traced the Durango to a Murray apartment complex using neighborhood and Utah Transit Authority cameras, where they located Sanchez. They also linked a BMW 325 to the investigation and identified Thomas Domingo Bustos, 31, as the registered owner of both vehicles. Police say footage showed the vehicles together before and after the robbery and moving through the area around the credit union, according to KSL.
Claims about Bustos
Bustos is accused of arranging the robbery and directing the other participants. Police further allege that the stolen money was turned over to him and that cellphone call records supported their account. He was originally charged with aggravated kidnapping, a first-degree felony, and is also under investigation for aggravated robbery and use of a weapon or hoax weapon of mass destruction, KSL reported.
Bustos was on probation from an earlier case when the robbery occurred. KSL reported that he had pleaded no contest to threatening to use a weapon in a fight, a class A misdemeanor, and received two years of probation. Sanchez also had a recent drug-related conviction, according to the outlet.
Possible penalties
Aggravated robbery is a first-degree felony under Utah law. The offense can carry five years to life in prison upon conviction, according to FindLaw’s summary of the statute. A Utah criminal-defense firm’s explanation of the law also says the dangerous-weapon element may involve a claimed weapon even when the object is not genuine, according to Brown Bradshaw & Moffat. The allegations against Sanchez, Ybarra and Bustos have not been resolved in court.
