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A tanning salon and nail salon were robbed at knifepoint within minutes of each other on April 3.
THORNTON, Colo. — A tip to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers helped Thornton Police locate and arrest a man accused of robbing two businesses at knifepoint and forcing several employees to undress.
Joseph Chambers was arrested on April 20 at a Chuze Fitness in Westminster after someone called to say they recognized his vehicle from an earlier Crime Stoppers bulletin about the robberies.
He’s accused of robbing an At The Beach tanning location and a nail salon on Grant Street in Thornton about 10 minutes apart on April 3. According to an affidavit for his arrest, Chambers first entered the tanning salon while holding a knife and forced the two employees to give him money from the register.
Chambers then asked the employees to empty their purses and ordered them to lock the front entrance before forcing them into a room and ordering them to fully undress, the affidavit says.
One of them made up a story about needing to re-lock the front door because she hadn’t done it correctly. She said the man believed her so they walked to get the key and then to the front where she hit the panic button and then “fiddled” with the front door, the affidavit says. She said as they headed back to the rear of the store the suspect realized the other employee had fled out a back door.
The woman said the suspect became angry and while he was looking for the other woman, she fled out the front door.
About 11 minutes later, a nearby nail salon was also robbed at knifepoint. The owner explained that they were closing up for the night when a man with a knife walked in and demanded all their money. According to the affidavit, the owner had just bagged up and counted the money, and said Chambers made off with about $1,400 in cash. After getting the money, according to the affidavit, he’s heard in video from the business saying, “Thank you very much. Get out of my way.”
The owner and another employee followed the man outside and snapped a picture of his vehicle, a Volvo. The vehicle and photos of the suspect were later made public through Crime Stoppers. Westminster Police arrested him on April 20 after a tip from someone who saw the vehicle.
Prosecutors charged Chambers with the following:
- 4 counts of second-degree kidnapping
- 4 counts of aggravated robbery
- 2 counts of invasion of privacy for sexual gratification
He’s next due in court on May 17 for a preliminary hearing.
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