MIDVALE, Utah – A man accused of robbing an adult boutique in Midvale was taken into custody Thursday.
Police said Shane Hoerster broke into the Doctor John’s boutique in Midvale on Wednesday morning.
“Immediately came in, brandished a handgun and demanded money from the clerk. Obviously a very dangerous and aggressive situation,” said Unified Police Lt. Justin Hoyal. “The clerk did the right thing in this situation, she complied with the suspect and he ultimately fled with the money.”
No one was injured and the ordeal lasted less than two minutes, but a manager at Doctor John’s said the clerk is traumatized.
“It’s life changing to the person he did it to. Emotionally, it’s going to be hard for her to do everyday things that should not be hard for her to do after this. It’s just a really traumatizing situation,” she said. “Emotionally, she is completely traumatized. Very nervous to return to work.”
The suspect wore a shirt or towel over his face during the robbery. Police said the same man was in a 7-Eleven store across the street from Doctor John’s just before the crime, but he wasn’t wearing any disguise.
Thanks to that security footage, investigators were able to identify Hoerster and find out that he lives in a nearby apartment complex.
“The suspect in this case was taken into custody and is now being interviewed by detectives,” Hoyal said.
Hoerster was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on outstanding warrants. He has a long criminal history with multiple arrests for robbery, assault and drugs going back more than a decade.
