Two winning lottery tickets, some old-fashioned sleuthing by deputies and three confessions ended the number of theft crimes committed by a trio of robbers in one. The events started when two of the suspects purchased some drinks and lottery tickets at a Douglassville, Texas, convenience store. Two hours later, a surveillance camera at the store caught the men taking $400 to $500 from the clerk at gunpoint.
A criminal investigator from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office made the connection between the suspects and the robbery through the lottery tickets. The investigator checked the serial numbers of the tickets and located where the tickets were cashed. He then got a positive identification of the men when he went to a store in New Boston.
Once the sheriff’s office knew the identities of the men, the case came together when all three suspects confessed to being involved in the robbery. All three men were arrested on felony charges of aggravated robbery. The penalties for a conviction include imprisonment from five to 99 years and a fine of up to $10,000. The men were held in jail in lieu of $1 million bond pending indictment by a grand jury.
A theft charge conviction in a case such as this one can have far-reaching consequences. Because the charge is a felony, a conviction would include a criminal record that could affect the person’s ability to get a job, obtain housing assistance and restrict the ability to travel to some foreign countries.
Source: Atlanta Citizens Journal, “Scratched-Off: Douglassville robbery suspects arrested,” Michelle Williams, Oct. 15, 2012