Tuesday morning in Des Moines, two thieves allegedly pushed a casino winner from Iowa off the road and took more over $10,000 from her. Police have detained one alleged robber and are looking for more.
The above image is of Iowa’s Prairie Meadows Casino. Police reported that a man started following a woman after she won over $10,000 at the casino. He allegedly ran her off the road and stole the cash together with another suspect. (Photo via Hotels.com)One of the suspects is accused of breaking her driver’s side glass, unlocking the door, and yanking her purse from the vehicle. She had recently won money gambling at the Prairie Meadows Casino in Altoona, and it was in her purse.
Timothy Spencer, 30, of Delaware Township, Iowa, was arrested on Wednesday. He had a handgun during the holdup, police claim. He was the one who shattered the window and stole the purse, police said.
A Polk County jail booking was made for Spencer. Online jail records show that he is accused with first-degree robbery, first-degree theft, carrying a weapon while intending to conduct a crime, conspiring to commit a crime under duress, failing to apply a drug stamp, and possessing a controlled substance.
He was still in detention as of Thursday noon. WHO, a local TV station, reported that the bail was set at $60,000. On August 1, he is due in small-town court.
Tim Spencer as shown in a police photo. In Iowa, he and another man are accused of dragging a woman off the road. After that, he allegedly stole more than $10,000 from her. At a casino, she won the cash. (Photo: Polk County Prison)
Around 3:15 am on Tuesday, Spencer and the other suspect are accused of forcing the victim off of Easton Boulevard separately. They both parked their autos after that. The passenger side glass was slammed by the second suspect.
The incident happened when the victim was traveling home. At the casino, she had won two different jackpots. She was unharmed.
It appears at least one of the suspects began following the victim while she was still at the casino, police said. He continued to tail her and he left the casino at the same time she did, 3 am.
With her description, police identified Spencer on Prairie Meadows surveillance video, police said. The footage showed him near the victim when she won the money.
He was apprehended at the same casino on Wednesday. Upon his arrest, police found he had $1,000 in cash and a bottle of oxycodone in his vehicle.
They also found $2,000 in cash and a silver .38 revolver at his residence, police said.
Suspect Denies Involvement
Spencer claimed the money was from $10,000 he won at Prairie Meadows several weeks ago, police said.
He denied to police he was involved in the robbery, WHO said.
In an unrelated incident, in October a 27-year-old Pennsylvania man was charged with first-degree murder after following a victim from a casino to his home some 50 miles away.
Jekai Reid-John of Norristown allegedly tailed the man from Pennsylvania’s Parx Casino to Plainsboro, N.J., where he was shot and later died.
Tailed Victim
Reid-John allegedly saw Aravapalli leave the gaming establishment in Bensalem, Pennsylvania with the night’s earnings just hours before the shooting. Aravapalli was pursued by Reid-John till the victim eventually stopped at his residence.
Reid-John allegedly followed him and used a sliding door to get inside the house. According to authorities, Aravapalli was downstairs when numerous rounds were fired, and he sustained “several gunshot wounds.”
After the gunfire, a car drove away, a neighbor told police. Aravapalli was taken by ambulance to a nearby medical facility. Soon after getting there, he was pronounced dead.
According to reports, Aravapalli’s wife and teenage daughter were sleeping upstairs when the incident occurred.
Rephrased post from Iowa Casino Winner Run Off Road By Two Cars, Armed Bandit Robs $10K appeared first on Casino.org.
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