Sears robbery suspect nabbed; employee arrested
Published 8:32 am Friday, January 7, 2011
FRANKLIN—Franklin Police arrested a Sedley man in connection with a Dec. 9 armed robbery at Sears.
And the Sears employee who reported the robbery also was charged after investigators alleged he had been stealing merchandise from the Franklin store.
Kevin Hargrave, 34, of the 28000 block of Berlin Dory Road is accused of robbing the Armory Drive store of an undetermined amount of cash.
Police also arrested employee Ryan Michael Johnson, 26, of the 100 block of Forest Pine Road, Franklin.
“He gave us false information as to the facts of the crime, and the investigation led us to a different conclusion,” said Police Lt. Tim Whitt.
Police served a search warrant at Hargrave’s home and recovered televisions, power tools, hand tools, DVD players, an air compressor and a GPS unit — all believed to be from the Sears.
Hargrave is charged with armed robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Johnson is charged with felony embezzlement, grand larceny and grand larceny with intent to sell.
Both men were arrested Wednesday and taken to Western Tidewater Regional Jail without bond. Detective Cpl. J.B. Butts is the investigator in the case.