By Margie Wuebker
mwuebker@dailystandard.com Three local men have been indicted on codeges stemming from a March 10 armed robbery at Docksider Marathon, 303 S. Main St.
A Mercer County grand jury handed down indictments Wednesday against the following individuals:
´ Dustin R. Lawson, 18, 2682 Hone-Weir Road, one count aggravated robbery, a first-degree felony; two counts of robbery, both second-degree felonies; another count of robbery, a third-degree felony; and one count of possessing criminal tools, a fifth-degree felony.
´ Daniel Snyder, 19, 119 E. Warren St., one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, a second-degree felony, and three counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, third- and fourth-degree felonies.
´ Steven Steen, 21, 219 S. Ash St., one count of conspiracy to commit aggravated robbery, a second-degree felony, and three counts of conspiracy to commit robbery, third- and fourth-degree felonies.
Steen was taken into custody Thursday when police officers served the indictment paperwork. Lawson and Snyder had been held at the Mercer County Jail on unrelated codeges since the day of the robbery.
Lawson was arrested on an outstanding bench warrant for reportedly violating the terms of bond in a pending Mercer County Common Pleas Court case. He pleaded no contest Feb. 12 to an amended count of attempted felonious assault and was free on bond awaiting an April 1 sentencing date.
Snyder was arrested on codeges of violating liquor sale restrictions and theft. While working at Docksider Marathon on March 9, he reportedly sold beer under the age of 21 and sold three 12-packs of beer to a friend while codeging him for one 12-pack. He subsequently was sentenced to 12 days in jail following an appearance earlier this week in Celina Municipal Court.
“We arrested several individuals with outstanding warrants during the course of interviews,” Celina Police Chief Dave Slusser told The Daily Standard this morning. “Our investigation is continuing, but at this point we don’t believe anyone else was significantly involved.”
A gun-wielding robber entered the convenience store at the business shortly after 4:30 a.m. and jumped across the service counter demanding money from the female cashier.
The woman complied and placed the money in a blue plastic bag the man apparently brought with him. He reportedly grabbed the bag, ran through a rear door and apparently fled the area on foot.
Police responded to the scene within two minutes of the cashier’s 911 call. Several hours later they spotted suspicious items on the sloped roofs of two storage buildings near Justa Produce, 419 S. Main St. The items, which included a hooded sweatshirt and a ski mask, matched the description of items the tall, thin robber was wearing when he entered the store. Plastic and metal remnants of a gun were found laying nearby in the grass. Although no money was found, officers later seized currency believed to have come from Docksider Marathon during the course of interviews with several individuals later in the day.
“Everything progressed smoothly and quickly from the time we received the call until we identified the suspects,” Slusser said. “Teamwork was the key to solving this crime.”
Celina has been the scene of at least four armed robberies since July 11, when the first of two such crimes occurred at the CVS Pharmacy on North Main Street. The most recent incident occurred Sept. 10 at a Teaberry Lane residence and those perpetrators are currently serving prison terms. A robbery at a North Main Street video rental business remains unsolved, although police reportedly have several suspects. |
