Selfies Helped Bring Down Cleveland Robbers

CLEVELAND, OH — A Facebook photo helped bring down two men that robbed Dollar Tree stores in east side Cleveland neighborhoods in May and June 2017. One of the men posted a pair of selfie photographs one of which shows him holding a handgun and a stack of cash a day after one of the robberies.

William Holmes, 22, walked into the Miles Road Dollar Tree in the Corlett neighborhood and put a gun to an employee's head on June 4. He told the employee to disable the alarm system and then Holmes stole about $1,500 from the store, according to the Department of Justice.

A day after the robbery he posted a picture of himself holding a pistol in one hand and a stack of cash in the other hand. A day later he posted another picture of several wads of cash, a black pistol and candy laying on a table. He captioned the photo: “Money guns n snacks is life,” according to court documents and trial testimony.

“ATF and CPD are laser-focused on removing violent criminals from the streets of Cleveland,” said Trevor Velinor, ATF’s Special Agent in Charge for the Columbus Field Division. “These individuals used firearms to threaten innocent employees and steal from people who worked long hours. ATF, Cleveland Police, and all of our law enforcement partners are united in sending a clear message that our community is tired of firearms violence.”

Holmes and Demon Carter, 25, were found guilty for their roles in the robberies on Tuesday. Holmes was convicted of brandishing a firearm during robberies of the Dollar Tree store at 12900 Miles Road on June 4 and at 2892 East 116th Street on June 19, as well as robbing the Miles Road store on May 14.

Carter was convicted of violating the Hobbes Act when he went with Holmes during the May 14 robbery and the June 4 robbery. Carter was a former Dollar Tree employee.

“People who use firearms to rob others who are shopping or working belong in prison. We will continue to target these violent predators and work together to make our community a safer place to live, work and play," U.S. Attorney Justin E. Herdman said in a statement.

Photo from Shutterstock