Trio of Robbers Convicted for Hitting North Olmsted Zip Drive-Thru

CLEVELAND, OH - A trio of Cleveland men have been sentenced to prison for their role in a series of armed robberies in Solon, North Olmsted, and Bath. The men committed robberies in the three towns and have each been sentenced to prison for a decade or longer, says Carole Rendon, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio.

Matthew Bowen, Jr., 25, and Christopher Jones, 26, Stephone Tillman, 25, robbed a series of gas stations and drive-thru stores in each town. All of the robberies involved the use of a gun.

The men hit the Circle K gas station, 29605 Aurora Rd., Solon on Sept. 15., 2015. They then robbed the Zip Thru, a drive-through store, at 30781 Lorain Rd., North Olmsted on Oct. 3. Five days later they hit another Circle K, this time at 791 Cleveland-Massillon Rd., in Bath.

“These men deserve to be locked up for a long time after using loaded guns to rob hard-working people,” Rendon said in a statement.

The sentences for all three men are as follows:

• Tillman was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
• Bowen was sentenced to nearly 13 years in prison.
• Jones was sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms led the investigation into the three men. They were aided by the Solon, Bath, and North Olmsted Police Departments.

“There is no place in our society for those who use firearms for illegal purposes,” Trevor Velinor, Special Agent in Charge of ATF’s Columbus Field Division, said in a statement. “The cooperative efforts between ATF and the Solon, North Olmsted, and Bath Police Departments are a positive example that we have more impact when we work together to bring violent criminals to justice.”

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