Four teens arrested for staging robbery at Idaho Falls Subway

The Idaho Falls Police have arrested four teenagers for staging a fake robbery at the Subway restaurant on 17th Street in Idaho Falls.

Eighteen-year-old Joseph W. Mealer, 19-year-old Thomas S. Papasan, 19-year-old Kyle A. Curzon and 19-year-old Tracen L. Freeman, all of Idaho Falls and Bonneville County; were booked into the Bonneville County Jail on Tuesday. Mealer was also arrested for filing a false police report.

According to policereports,IFPD began investigating a robbery on March 14 at the Subway Restaurant, 995 E. 17th St., when Mealer reported to police he was robbed at gunpoint by three unknown suspects.

During the investigation, detectives determined Mealer had lied about the robbery. He, Papasan, Curzon and Freeman decided to steal the money from the restaurant by staging a robbery using fake guns. They planned it just a couple of days prior to the incident.

The four teens stole $409 from the restaurant. The four were charged with burglary as the money was not taken by fear or force. Therefore, the incident is no longer classified as a robbery.