IDAHO FALLS — The Subway employee who admitted to staging an armed robbery had tried to get other friends to rob the business beforehand, according to court documents.
Joseph W. Mealer, 18, Thomas S. Papasan, 19, Kyle A. Curzon, 19, and Tracen L. Freeman, 19, all of Bonneville County, were booked into the Bonneville County Jail on Tuesday on felony burglary charges for their alleged involvement in the staging of the 17th street Subway robbery on March 14. Mealer was also arrested for filing a false police report.
Mealer had originally told police he had been forced into a walk-in freezer at gunpoint while the store was robbed.
But after the robbery was reported friends of Mealer came forward and provided information to police. The information implicated Mealer in the planning of the robbery. According to one witness, Mealer spoke to another person about robbing Subway during closing time.
After learning Mealer could have been involved, investigators scheduled a follow-up interview.
During the interview, investigators confronted Mealer with the contradicting information, and he soon gave the names of the three other men involved: Papasan, Curzon and Freeman. Mealer told investigators they were friends of his looking for a quick buck.
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At first, Mealer maintained the robbery happened and that his only prior knowledge of the crime was that he told his three friends that he usually closes alone.
He also that he did not know when the robbery was going to happen and afterward he did not get any of the profits from the robbery, though mutual friends say he did get a portion, according to court documents.
Mealer told police it was a spur-of-the moment thing, but later admitted it was planned for two days. Mealer said he told his three friends, “If the lights are off, I am probably by myself.”
According to police reports, Mealer was in contact with the three men prior to the robbery, advising them when his final co-worker left.
About $400 was stolen in total from the restaurant. Mealer told investigators all the money was spent on marijuana.
Later in the week, investigators caught up with the three men Mealer implicated.
After being confronted with the evidence against them, Freeman and Curzon both admitted to planning and taking part in the robbery, confirming the majority of Mealer’s statements. Papasan denied involved and implicated no one.
As of Monday morning, all four men remain in the Bonneville County Jail.
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