Two More AT&T Stores Hit by Smash and Grab Phone Bandits
What’s odd is that so far they have only hit AT&T stores. Either some other retailer is using some seriously unfair tactics to close down the competition or the black market gets some sort of great deal on AT&T service.
Finally a decent crime report from GreenvilleOnline.com:
GREER — Cell phones were stolen from two more AT&T stores early this morning after three suspects entered the businesses, cleared out inventory and left within minutes, authorities said.
Greer Police responded to the first robbery on 215 W. Wade Hampton Bllvd. at 6:04 a.m. Video surveillance showed three men between 21 and 30 years old entering the store dressed in dark hooded sweatshirts and wearing black gloves, according to incident reports.
The suspects took an undetermined number of cell phones of different makes and models, along with phone accessories, one report said.
At 6:12 a.m., officers responded to a second AT&T robbery at 5322 Wade Hampton Blvd. Three male suspects used a crow bar to gain entry into the store and then into a locked room that held inventory, according to a report.
The gang has made off with $30,000+ worth of merchandise and they show no signs of stopping. They have been caught on video and don’t wear masks though so I doubt these are pros.
Fox Carolina has a link to surveillance video of the gang.
WYFF points out that the men seem to be extremely familiar with these stores layouts. They also have more detailed descriptions.
Couple Robbed of Church Deposit at Wade Hampton Wachovia
The couple have made the deposits since 1979 and never had a problem which, given my impression of Wade Hampton, is remarkable in itself. Their luck ran out Sunday night and thankfully they weren’t hurt in the process.
From WYFF:
The couple went to the Wachovia Bank on Wade Hampton Boulevard at Cherokee Drive at about 9 p.m.
They parked in a drive-through lane, got out and walked over to the night-deposit area when a man ran out of the woods with a gun and demanded the bag, the Sheriff’s Office said. He took it and ran back into the woods, the Sheriff’s Office said.
A K-9 followed a track through the woods but lost it, the Sheriff’s Office said. Investigators think he got into a car there.
Police described the robber as a black man, 25 to 30 years of age, 5′10″ tall, weighing approximately 250 pounds, wearing a dark mask and a gray military-style jacket. The couple said the man was armed with a black handgun.
Since the thug got away relatively easily I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t try this again. Never do your banking at night if you can help it and remember that just because an ATM alcove is well lit doesn’t mean it’s safe when no one else is around.
Deputies Arrest Joseph Raymond Poole II, Violent Carjacking Suspect
One of Greenville County’s Most Wanted was apprehended near Bob Jones University tonight following a high speed chase on Wade Hampton Blvd. Joseph Raymond Poole II was taken into custody after stop sticks were used to slow down the stolen vehicle he was driving. He abandoned the car and was captured by deputies a short time later.
WYFF4 has more:
Deputies said they caught Joseph Pool II after a police chase on Highway 91. Poole was spotted in a car that police said he stole earlier in the morning from Train Auto Sales on 1127 N. Pleasantburg Drive.
Police said the chase went from North Pleasantburg to Wade Hampton Boulevard.
Joseph Poole is being charged with strong-armed robbery, carjacking, and grand larceny, according to Fox Carolina. A high profile manhunt for Poole began Thursday after he carjacked and beat a 68-year-old woman in the parking lot of the Cherrydale Shopping Center. No word on whether Poole will face charges for the assault.
Body Found in Anderson County May be Missing Taylors Man
Homer Staton, 72, and Jo Ann Staton, 68 were last seen at Old Country Buffet on Wade Hampton Blvd on Friday. On Saturday a car found parked near a pond was traced to the couple who had by then disappeared. Homer Stanton’s hearing aid was found in the car. A police search of the couple’s home found no evidence of where the couple was.
On Sunday a man walking his dog found a body a few miles from where the Stanton’s car was found. Police are not yet sure if the body is Homer Stanton but are investigating the possibility.
From WYFF:
ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. — The Anderson County Sheriff’s office has begun a homicide investigation on a man’s body found near Asaville School Road.
The body was found a few miles from the car of a missing couple from Taylors.
Sheriff John Skipper said the car belongs to 72-year-old Homer and 68-year-old Jo Ann Staton of Taylors. Deputies found it near a pond off Belton Highway.
[...]
The Anderson County Coroner’s Office could not confirm the identity of the person found dead, but said he was probably between 60 and 70 years old.
Greenville Online also has a report.
UPDATE: The body has been identified as Homer Staton and his death has been ruled a homicide. From Fox Carolina:
ANDERSON, S.C. — Anderson County deputies said that the death of a Taylors man whose body was found on Sunday night is a homicide.
The Anderson County Coroner’s Office said that the body of 72-year-old Homer Staton was found along Asaville School Road at about 6:15 p.m. Sunday. Investigators said that Staton died from blunt force trauma to the head.
Jo Ann Staton remains missing. Anyone with information call Anderson County Crime Stoppers at 231-STOP.