Follow the Money: Troy Robbery Suspect Drops Loot in His Path, Police Say

TROY, MI — All authorities had to do to catch a man accused of holding up a Troy gas station with a screwdriver was follow the money. Shaun Edward Benns, 38, of Pontiac, dropped the loot as he fled and is now being held without bond in the Oakland County Jail, the Troy Police Department said Thursday.

Benns is accused of wielding a screwdriver to threaten a clerk at Clark Gas Station, 6951 Rochester Road, about 8 p.m. Sunday. The clerk turned over the money, and was then ordered to lay on the ground, Troy police said in a news release.

Benns fled, and the Troy Special Investigation Unit put out an all-points bulletin describing his vehicle, according to the release.

A short time later, deputies from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office and officers of the Auburn Hills Police Department attempted to stop Benns’ vehicle on University Drive near Martin Luther King Jr Blvd., in Auburn Hills. A short vehicle pursuit ensued, followed by a foot pursuit.

Benns was apprehended by deputies after leaving a trail of money along his path, police said.

He arraigned on the armed robbery charge on Tuesday before 52-4 District Court Magistrate Clement J. Waldmann, who denied bond. Benns is also a suspect in several other armed robberies in the area, police said.

The Troy Special Investigations Unit is comprised of officers from the Birmingham Police Department, the Bloomfield Township Police Department, Royal Oak Police Department and Troy Police Department. These investigators routinely work together in a collaborative, multi-jurisdictional Unit that investigates criminal activity impacting the region.