A federal grand jury indicted a Gordonsville Man on seven counts of robbery, among other charges related to a string of summertime robberies, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
Dominique Dejone Thurston, 22, was arrested in September in connection with a robbery of a 7-Eleven in northern Albemarle County in which a clerk at the store was assaulted. He’s facing local charges related to that incident, including malicious wounding.
The federal charges Thurston is facing are under the Hobbs Act, which prohibits actual or attempted robbery or extortion affecting interstate or foreign commerce in any way or degree. He’s also charged with seven counts of using a firearm in commission of a Hobbs Act robbery, and one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
The federal indictment accuses Thurston of committing a series of armed, Hobbs Act robberies at commercial businesses in Albemarle County, the City of Charlottesville and Stafford County between June 2020 and September 2020, according to a news release from acting U.S. Attorney Daniel Bubar, who oversees the Western District of Virginia.
These robberies included the Oak Hill Market in Albemarle County, 7-Eleven on Ivy Road in Charlottesville, a BP gas station convenience store in Charlottesville, 7-Eleven on Greenbrier Drive in Albemarle County, Kangaroo Gas in Albemarle County, 7-Day Junior Store in Charlottesville, and 7-Eleven on Boulderview Road in Albemarle County.
During each robbery, the suspect brandished a firearm, pointed it at a store employee and demanded cash, according to the release. Officials didn’t specify how much money Thurston is accused of stealing.
U.S. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives investigated the robbies along with police departments in Albemarle County, Charlottesville and Stafford County. The ATF started working with local police in mid-September and initially offered $5,000 for the two suspects.
After Thurston was arrested, evidence recovered by investigators since Thurston’s arrest has led them to conclude that there was only one suspect involved in the robberies, according to a news release at the time of the arrest.
Ronald M. Huber, the Managing Assistant U.S. Attorney, and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Nina-Alice Antony are prosecuting the case.
Source: www.dailyprogress.com
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