Affidavit Reveals: Thornton Police Arrest Man Accused of Forcing Salon Workers to Strip
Thornton Police identified and arrested a man suspected of robbing two companies at knifepoint and making many employees strip thanks to a report to Metro Denver Crime Stoppers.
Following a call from someone identifying his car from an earlier Crime Stoppers advisory regarding the thefts, Joseph Chambers was taken into custody on April 20 at Chuze Fitness in Westminster. He is charged with stealing, on April 3, approximately ten minutes apart, from a manicure salon on Grant Street in Thornton and an At The Beach tanning facility. An affidavit for his arrest states that Chambers first entered the tanning business brandishing a knife and compelled the two workers to give him cash from the register.
The affidavit states that Chambers next made the staff members empty their bags and lock the front door before shoving them into a room and requiring them to completely undress. One of them concocted a tale about how she had not properly locked the front door and that she had to do it again. According to the affidavit, she hit the panic button and then “fiddled” with the front door after the man believed her and they went to fetch the key. She said the suspect discovered the other employee had left out a back door as they returned to the back of the store.
The woman claimed the guy lost his temper and she ran out the front door as he was searching for the other woman. Eleven minutes later, a neighboring nail salon was robbed at knifepoint as well. The proprietor said they were about to close for the evening when a man with a knife barged in and demanded all of their money. The owner had just tallied and bagged the money, according to the affidavit, and claimed Chambers had taken around $1,400 in cash. The document claims that he is heard on a business video thanking the company after receiving the money. Leave me alone.
The proprietor and another worker trailed the man outside and took a photo of his Volvo. Crime Stoppers later released pictures of the suspect and the car. A tip from someone who spotted the car led Westminster Police to arrest him on April 20.
Attorneys accused Chambers of the following:
- Four counts of second-degree kidnapping
- Four aggravated robberies
- Two counts of violating privacy for the pleasure of sex
The following day, May 17, is his preliminary hearing date in court.