News writer
Gas stations in Middle Tennessee can rest a little easier after police announced two suspects were arrested after a series of robberies in the area, with the suspects allegedly stealing thousands of dollars worth of lottery tickets.
Thousands of dollars worth of tickets were stolen
The latest incident to take place happened on June 9 at the Heritage Travel Center, located at 7201 Whites Creek Pike in Joelton, according to court documents obtained by WKRN.
During the incident, 26-year-old Michael Mayes reportedly stole $3,800 worth of lottery tickets after he broke into the store using a blunt object.
Thankfully, the robbery was caught on video surveillance, and Mayes matched the description of the person “shown stealing a multitude of lottery tickets,” police said.
Trying to scan the stolen tickets
The day after those lottery tickets were stolen, Tennessee Lottery officials alerted police that Mayes was trying to scan the stolen tickets. Mayes first tried scanning the stolen tickets at a Quik Sak gas station on South Hamilton Road. However, those transactions failed, so Mayes then left the location, authorities said.
Mayes reportedly didn't give up, as he went to a Chips gas station in the 7200 block of Whites Creek Pine hours later and attempted to scan more tickets. However, the scanning didn't work again for Mayes.
An arrest was then made
After reviewing the surveillance footage, police said Mayes arrived in a white Subaru at both locations. On June 14, police located Mayes in the white Subaru. He was also wearing a pair of blue Crocs, which matched the outfit he was wearing when he was seen trying to scan the stolen tickets.
Mayes was arrested and charged with 10 counts of burglary and theft for his role in the lottery tickets being stolen, authorities said. He was booked into the Metro Jail and was being held on a $59,000 bond.
A second arrest was made
While Mayes was arrested on June 14, police announced a second arrest was made on June 21 in regards to a string of lottery ticket thefts that occurred in Rutherford County earlier this year.
Court documents state police arrested 25-year-old Deron Crawford after a burglary was reported at the Mapco off Murfreesboro Pike in January.
Police obtained video surveillance, which reportedly showed Crawford break out a window and then steal lottery tickets. Investigators determined Crawford was also involved in similar burglaries that took place in La Vergne and Smyrna.
Authorities worked with the police departments in Smyrna and La Vergne to identify Crawford as the suspect related to a string of burglaries that took place between Jan. 24 and Feb. 21.
Police arrested Crawford in Smyrna on Friday, June 21. Officers said a “large amount of lottery tickets were located inside the vehicle along with pieces of clothing used in the burglaries.”
Crawford was arrested and faces 12 charges related to the burglaries. He was booked into the Metro Jail and was being held on a $41,000 bond.
No other information or next court dates for the suspects were given.
Enjoy playing the Tennessee Lottery, and please remember to play responsibly.
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