Recent robberies worry residents

Since Friday, two people have been robbed in Pocatello. Tuesday night, a man knocked down a woman and stole her money. A man who lives a block away from where it happened said he never thought that would happen on his street.

Tony Pulley has lived on McKinley Avenue since December. He describes it as a quiet street, so he was surprised to read Wednesday morning that a woman was robbed nearby.

“I saw that it happened in the 100 block of McKinley,” he said. “I lived in the 200 block of McKinley and I’m like, are you kidding me?”

The robbery happened around 7:30 p.m. Tuesday. Jeffrey Upchurch, the man who robbed the woman, was arrested an hour later and is currently in custody, according to police.

Pulley said the incident adds a new worry for him.

“It’s a stressful situation, having to worry about your family and thinking you were in a nice, quiet neighborhood,” he said. “Then all of a sudden something like this happens.”

At Southwick Black Belt Academy, all classes have elements of self-defense integrated in them. Instructor Jessica Carson says the best way to avoid that kind of situation is to be aware of your surroundings.

“We see a lot of people that are tuned into their phones or just not paying attention to what’s going around,” Carson said. “That almost sets the stage for a predatory person to look at them as an easy target.”

Carson said people need to think about these situations beforehand and prepare for them, much like preparing for an emergency. Doing so helps you think quicker when you do encounter a robber, according to Carson.

“If they’re going to press the issue, you’ve got to know where your line is and what happens when somebody crosses it,” she said.

If a robber does get physical, there are moves anyone could do. If they grab your wrist, you can fend them off with a “wave goodbye” motion. You can do the same movement if they try to punch you or grab your shirt. This move opens a vulnerable spot on your attacker, which gives you an opportunity to retaliate.

With plans to take extra precautions in mind not only for his family, but also for the $12,000 race car in his garage, Pulley sums the recent robberies as a “big wake-up call.”