A man suspected of robbing the Exxon Gas Station at Main Avenue and 25th Street in Durango has been arrested, police said Thursday.
Jeremiah Clayton Fast, 29, of Durango, was being held at the La Plata County jail on $10,000 bail. He was picked up Tuesday by the Durango Police Department, said Lt. Ray Shupe, in a news release.
“Mr. Fast confessed to both robberies,” Shupe said. “He advised detectives that he is unemployed and severely addicted to methamphetamine. He advised detectives that he used the cash from the robberies to pay his rent.”
Fast waived his right to a lawyer before talking to detectives, Shupe said.
The Exxon was robbed New Year’s Eve by a man wearing a hooded black coat, gloves and a gray scarf concealing his face. He never brandished a weapon.
Very little evidence or information was available after the Exxon robbery. The police department released a video of the suspect, but it didn’t generate any helpful leads, so the case grew cold.
It took a second crime to identify him.
The Valero Gas Station at Main Avenue and 18th Street was robbed Feb. 3. The description of the suspect and the items that were taken were similar to the Exxon robbery. During the investigation into both robberies, police identified a red four-door sedan as possibly being involved.
A week later, on Monday, a patrol officer spotted the vehicle, Shupe said, and pulled it over.
“The driver of the vehicle quickly identified Jeremiah Clayton Fast as the robbery suspect,” he said.
Fast was brought in for an interview Tuesday, when he made his confession. He was being held on two counts of felony robbery.
“I am very proud of the patrol officers and detectives who worked hard on this case,” DPD Chief Jim Spratlen said. “They had very little information to go on, but they did not give up trying to find this suspect. I’m glad they were able to place him in custody before he was hurt or someone else was hurt.”
Because the investigation is ongoing, detectives are not releasing the amount of money stolen.
abutler@durangoherald.com
