PUBLIC SAFETY

Keizer man accused of armed robbery at Flight Deck restaurant

A Keizer man is accused of robbing the Flight Deck Restaurant & Lounge in southeast Salem at gunpoint last month and stealing a “large amount of cash,” according to the Salem Police Department.

Police said the robbery occurred the night of Dec. 10. The restaurant is located beside a runway of the Salem airport.

Butch A. Knupp, 40, was charged on Friday in Marion County Circuit Court with first-degree robbery and unlawful use of a weapon.

Just after 9 p.m. on Dec. 10, a man followed an employee into the restaurant, pointed what looked like a handgun at them and demanded money. The employee complied and the suspect left with cash, Salem police said in a news release Thursday.

On Thursday morning, detectives of the agency’s Violent Crimes Unit and its SWAT Team searched a residence in the 1200 block of North Chemawa Road in Keizer and arrested Knupp. Officers seized a handgun, a rifle and two replica guns during the search.

Knupp was lodged at the Marion County Jail.

The police statement did not explain how they identified Knupp as the suspect or the delay in arresting him.

Marion County Deputy District Attorney Brendan Murphy declined to say how much cash Knupp is accused of stealing, saying the information “wouldn’t be appropriate for me to release at this time.”

Knupp has criminal convictions dating back to 2001, including for first-degree burglary, unauthorized use of a vehicle, first-degree forgery and second-degree theft, according to court records.

This story was updated Friday after the Marion County District Attorney’s Office filed charges against Knupp.

Contact reporter Ardeshir Tabrizian: [email protected] or 503-929-3053.

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Ardeshir Tabrizian has covered criminal justice and housing for Salem Reporter since September 2021. As an Oregon native, his award-winning watchdog journalism has traversed the state. He has done reporting for The Oregonian, Eugene Weekly and Malheur Enterprise.