COLUMBUS, Ohio -- A husband and wife were arraigned Saturday on robbery charges in connection with the robbery of a Columbus pharmacy store.
NBC 4's Paul Stelzer reported with the FAST FACTS.
Police said Robert Hustead, 36, and his wife Michelle Hustead, 22, robbed the Walgreens at 4101 Cleveland Ave. Thursday.
Detectives from the Columbus Division of Police and the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office believe the Husteads might have been responsible for as many as 10 pharmacy store robberies dating back to December 17, 2008.
Police believe Robert and Michelle robbed five stores just this past Thursday and Friday, including the Walgreens on Cleveland Avenue.
That was the only case in which charges were filed.
Police said the victim who works at that Walgreens identified Robert as the man who allegedly robbed the store.
On Friday, police arrested Robert and Michelle near a Walgreens on Harrisburg Pike, a store that was also robbed on Thursday.
SWAT officers staked out that store and recognized the Husteads when they drove near the store.
Bond was set at $500,000 for Robert. Bond was set at $250,000 for Michelle.
The bond amounts differ apparently because of the respective roles each suspect was accused of playing in the alleged robbery.
Police said Michelle walked into the store, looked around, returned to the couple’s vehicle and gave Robert the go-ahead to rob the store.
Detectives said Robert then walked into the store and handed a cashier a note demanding cash.
Detective Tom Clark of the Columbus Division of Police told NBC 4, “We’ve recovered three notes from (Robert and Michelle Hustead), all basically stating the same thing: Basically, ‘Give us all your money, we have a gun, or we will kill you.’ ”
Detective Clark said no gun was recovered at the time of the Husteads’ arrest.
Both were due back in court on February 2.
Stay with NBC 4 and refresh nbc4i.com for the latest information in this developing story.
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