Utah man sent to prison for robbing eastern Idaho bank
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SODA SPRINGS — A Utah man who robbed Ireland Bank in March was sent to prison Friday.
District Judge Mitchell W. Brown sentenced 37-year-old Kevin Model Martinez to five to 10 years in prison for felony robbery.
According to an affidavit of probable cause obtained by EastIdahonews.com, Martinez wore Ray Bans sunglasses and a disguise when he robbed the bank March 25. He handed the teller a note demanding cash and fled the bank with $3,627.84.
An investigator wrote in his report that surveillance cameras captured Martinez running from the bank with cash in a backpack. Cameras showed him driving eastbound on U.S. Highway 30 in a 2006 white Nissan Murano and the license plate on the vehicle led investigators to contact authorities in Utah.
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On March 31 at 2 a.m., Soda Springs Police detectives were called by officers in the West Valley Police Department saying they were transporting Martinez to Jordan Valley West Medical Center for treatment. Soda Springs Police Chief Scott Shaw and other officers drove to Utah to find Martinez coming off of a “meth bender,” according to court documents.
When police spoke with Martinez about visiting Soda Springs, he said it had been a while and asked for an attorney. A search warrant on Martinez’s vehicle was obtained and investigators found the Ray Bans sunglasses, several receipts, including one from a convenience store in Malad, and other clothing worn during the robbery.
One receipt led officers to watch surveillance video at a Target in Salt Lake City where Martinez was in the same clothes he wore during the robbery.
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Martinez was arrested in Salt Lake City on April 3 and extradited to the Caribou County Jail days to face the felony robbery charge. He signed a plea agreement on July 12 and in exchange, prosecutors agreed not to forward the case to federal court.
Brown also ordered Martinez to pay $1,345.50 in fines and $3,627.84 in restitution to the bank. Defense Attorney Samuel James said Martinez had the check ready to reimburse the bank.