Arrested - Thirsty Cowboy Armed Robbery Series

Between November 27, 2017 and December 12, 2017, several armed robberies were committed in the cities of Mesa and Tempe in Arizona. Each incident had a similar suspect description and collectively were referred to as the Thirsty Cowboy Armed Robbery Series. On December 14, 2017, thanks to great cooperation and coordination between our agency and Tempe Police Department and Gilbert Police Department, probable cause was established to charge Aaron Michael Hess (Date of Birth: 7/02/1959) with the following:

Two counts of ARMED ROBBERY-WITH DEADLY WEAPON
Three counts of AGGRAVATED ASSAULT-DEADLY WEAPON/DANGEROUS INSTRUMENT
One count of ATTEMPTED ARMED ROBBERY-WITH DEADLY WEAPON
Three counts of KIDNAP-APPREHENSION OF INJURY

A search warrant was carried out at Aaron’s residence and vehicle where detectives located the Cowboy hat, shirts worn during the robberies and a toy revolver, which had been altered to look realistic. Aaron is a suspect in 4 Tempe armed robberies and charges are forthcoming for those incidents as well. Aaron is currently on probation for armed robbery and recently completed a 10-year sentence with the Arizona Department of Corrections.

Mesa Incidents:


November 27, 2017 - Water and Ice store at 1927 North Gilbert Road, Mesa, Arizona. Suspect description: White Male, 50-60 years old, wearing long sleeve plaid shirt, jeans, tinted glasses and a tan colored cowboy style hat.

November 29, 2017 - Fiiz Drinks at 1942 East Southern Avenue, Mesa Arizona. Suspect description: White Male, 50-60 years old, 160 pounds with blue eyes, gray hair, saggy sunken in cheeks wearing a brown/red long sleeve shirt, khaki pants, and tan cowboy style hat.

December 12, 2017 - Bahama Bucks located at 303 East Southern Avenue, Mesa Arizona. Suspect description: White Male, late 50s or even early 60s, having a very light complexion, a medium length beard, 5'05" or 5'06" tall, having a thin build and approximately 130 pounds. The suspect was wearing dark colored jeans, a plain black unzipped hooded sweater with the hood up, and an unknown color t-shirt.