Police: Robbery arrest followed crime spree

APPLETON – A 17-year-old man is in custody after police said he admitted to committing a series of crimes, including two armed robberies on Saturday.

A group of students from Lawrence University reported a man brandishing a handgun at them in the 300 block of East College Avenue several hours after the robberies, Appleton police said.

The man was arrested around 7:30 p.m. and was carrying a loaded gun at the time, police said. The teen reportedly admitted to both armed robberies.

Earlier Saturday, Appleton police were called to a convenience store in the 800 block of East Northland Avenue around 2:20 p.m. Fifteen minutes later, a second robbery was reported in the 1200 block of West Wisconsin Avenue.

In both incidents, a man holding a handgun demanded money from the cashiers. No one was injured.

The man also told police he stole a purse at knifepoint from a Lawrence student on Thursday. He also admitted to stealing a vehicle in a downtown parking ramp the same day, but the vehicle has since been recovered.

The teen is being held in the Outagamie County jail pending criminal charges.

— Ariel Cheung: 920-993-1000, ext. 430, or acheung@postcrescent.com; on Twitter @arielfab