Mar 7 2008 - KUTV2.com
A transient was arrested for the 452nd time this week after allegedly trying to steal a bottle of mouthwash from a drug store.
Wilson Yazzie Benally has a long history with Salt Lake City Police and remains one of the department's most-arrested individuals. His run-ins with the law date back to 1995, officials said.
Benally and another transient were arrested after being confronted by a security officer at a drug store, located near 500 East and 400 South on Wednesday. Officials say they tried to steal a bottle of mouthwash.
Benally then reportedly identified himself as a police officer when confronted. Legitimate Salt Lake Police officers arrived to the drug store, where Benally produced two business cards from officers he had previously encountered -- offering them as proof that he was a cop.
However, when the officers asked which department Benally worked for, the transient reportedly said he was an employee of the Salt Lake Police Department -- the same as the arresting officers.
Benally was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail on suspicion of shoplifting and impersonating a police officer.
Officials noted that Wednesday's arrest was no. 452 for Benally, who is considered one of the citys most frequent arrestees. Perhaps surprisingly, though, there is a man with an even larger arrest record.
Salt Lake authorities say their top offender is a man who they have dealt with more than 1,000 times between 2002 and 2006. In more than 600 of those run-ins, the unidentified man was arrested.
Mankind has created spectacular works of art, engineered incredibly tall buildings, designed impressive supercomputers, lived in outerspace, discovered cures for nasty diseases. As a whole, nothing can compare to human intelligence, but sometimes, humans can't seem to stay out of trouble.
Wilson Yazzie Benally is one of the Salt Lake Police Department's most frequently arrested persons. In March 2008, he had compiled a record that included more than 450 arrests.