A man’s distinctive front teeth and an exposed tattoo helped identify a suspect in a string of armed crimes committed over the weekend in Platte County.
Kenneth Arnhart, 33, of Salinas, Calif. faces felony charges of robbery, unlawful use of a weapon and armed criminal action after being taken into custody Saturday, Sept. 9 in Kansas City, Mo. in Platte County. He’s alleged to have committed an armed robbery of a gas station before taking a man’s car keys at gunpoint at a nearby hotel and then threatening a worker at another hotel with a handgun.
Kenneth Arnhart
All of the crimes were alleged to have occurred between about 7:45 p.m. and 9:10 p.m.
At 7:48 p.m. Kansas City (Mo.) Police Department officers were dispatched to the Phillips 66 gas station located at 11200 North Ambassador Dr. on a report of an armed business robbery. A worker said a white male with “buck teeth” later identified as Arnhart entered the business and attempted to walk behind the counter.
The worker asked Arnhart what he needed at which time he demanded money from the cash register, according to court documents.
The worker removed the drawer from inside the register and placed it on the counter before Arnhart removed the money from the drawer and exited the business. Detectives later were able to contact the manager of the business who provided detectives with photos from the surveillance video showing Arnhart committing the robbery and removing the money from the register drawer.
In the photos, Arnhart was observed wearing a dark shirt with the sleeves cut off with a large cross tattoo visible on his right arm. He was not wearing a mask during the robbery and his face was fully visible.
Less than an hour after the first robbery, officers responded to the Best Western Hotel located at 11130 North Ambassador Dr. in Kansas City, Mo. on another reported armed robber.
The victim said he left his room to check laundry when a man approached and demanded his keys. The suspect, later identified as Arnhart, pointed a gun at the man while he entered his room and retrieved the keys to his vehicle.
Arnhart allegedly took the keys after telling the victim, “Don’t make me shoot somebody else tonight.” He then instructed the man to wait 10 minutes before contacting his insurance company.
The witness again described the suspect as having “buck teeth,” according to court documents, and wearing a gray shirt with no sleeves.
Approximately 15 minutes later while still investigating the robberies, officers were contacted be the Hilton Hotel located on NW 112th Street in regards to a disturbance.
A witness said he overheard a verbal confrontation, and when he went to find the source, he found a man pointing a handgun at him. The suspect was again described as having messed up teeth and wearing a shirt without sleeves.
At about 9:10 p.m., officers located the second robbery victim’s car parked back at Phillips 66 that was robbed an hour and a half earlier. Arnhart was found inside wearing a shirt with no sleeves and was taken into custody.
According to court documents, a handgun was recovered inside the vehicle.
Two of the witnesses were individually escorted to Arnhart’s arrest location for an on scene identification, and both witnesses positively identified him as the suspect. The following day, detectives interviewed Arnhart at the Jackson County Detention Center, and he denied committing the robberies, claiming he borrowed the car from an associate.
According to court documents, Detectives showed Arnhart the photos from the surveillance video of the robbery at Phillips 66 and asked him to describe what he observed in the photos. He positively identified himself in the photos and stated that the photo showed him taking money from the cash register.
Arnhart denied that he committed a robbery and did not know why he was taking money from the register, according to court documents. He said he didn’t remember the robbery incident at the Best Western.
According to online records, Arnhart remains in custody at the Platte County Detention Center in lieu of a $100,000 cash-only bond.