Man refuses to show ID for vodka purchase, arrested weeks later

It took a while, but a Maricopa man got his comeuppance after an altercation with Circle K clerk in March. On Saturday, Maricopa police arrested Tortosa resident Paul A. Butler, 37, for his actions at the Circle K on West Honeycutt Road the night of March 25.  

At 9:55 p.m. on March 25, Maricopa police responded to a report of an unwanted person at the Circle K. 

Officers spoke with an employee who stated a customer, later identified as Butler, wanted to buy alcohol, but refused to show his ID. The employee told Butler she would not sell him the alcohol and placed the items back on the shelf behind the counter. 

According to a probable-cause statement, Butler then walked behind the counter to grab the alcohol. The employee stepped in front of him and put her arm out to stop him. Butler reportedly looked at the employee and said, “What the f*** are you going to do about it?” and reached past the employee and grabbed two bottles of vodka, valued at $6.98. 

Butler reportedly took $10 out of his wallet and threw it on the counter before leaving the store. The employee reported she felt intimidated and threatened by Butler, who left the store in a gray Ford F350 with a sunroof. 

Officers used Flock Safety cameras to search for gray Ford trucks, where they found a matching description of the truck and its license plate. Police noted the vehicle was registered to a woman named Deborah Butler-Goudy at a Tortosa address.  

A police search indicated a man named Paul Butler lived at the address, and a check of Butler’s Motor Vehicle Service’s photo matched the suspect in the Circle K’s surveillance footage of the incident. 

On April 29, officers contacted Butler at the Tortosa home. Butler reportedly admitted to going behind the counter and taking the vodka bottles. He said when the cashier confronted him, he told her “You can’t touch me” as he grabbed the bottles. 

Butler was booked into Pinal County jail on suspicion of robbery, threatening, theft, trespassing (3rd degree) and disorderly conduct.