Concerned Citizen's Tip Led Police To Armed Robbery Suspect

Friday, April 6, 2018 at 7:23 AM

By Mike Perleberg @mikedup84

The prosecutor said Jeremy Watson, of Dayton, Ohio, had previously been employed by a company based in West Harrison.

Photos provided.

(Dearborn County, Ind.) - The Dearborn-Ohio County Special Crimes Unit got their man.

Jeremy Watson, 38, of Dayton, Ohio, is identified as the suspect who robbed the Dollar General store in Bright on Monday night.

After approaching the register with a Gatorade and some candy, Watson told the clerk “This is a robbery, give me the money in the money drawer,” according to a news release from Dearborn-Ohio County Prosecutor Lynn Deddens.

Watson then allegedly showed a gun in his waistband. He soon pointed the firearm at two employees before leaving the store with money. He got away in a dark-colored Ford Ranger pickup truck.

Investigators identified Watson as a suspect after a concerned citizen recognized his photo from the armed robbery in the media. Detectives pulled up his Facebook page and noticed similar physical characteristics and clothing to the robber seen in Bright.

Detectives used cell phone data to track him to a hotel in Miamisburg, Ohio. As officers moved in to arrest Watson in the parking lot, he allegedly turned toward officers and brandished a handgun. He was shot in the leg by a Miamisburg police officer and taken into custody. He was transported to a hospital for treatment of the gunshot.

Dearborn County Prosecutor Lynn Deddens says Watson’s cell phone data shows he was in Bright on Monday night, and had stolen a gun belonging to a family member just last week. A black coat and a white shirt found in Watson’s hotel room were similar to those seen on video at the store robbery.

Watson should be extradited to Indiana once he is released from a Dayton hospital. He is facing charges in Indiana of Robbery While Armed with a Deadly Weapon (level 3 felony) and Possession of a Firearm by a Serious Violent Felon (level 4 felony). A level 3 felony is punishable by up to 16 yeas in prison, and a level 4 felony can bring up to 12 years.

“Thank you to the concerned citizens who spoke up and thank you to all the dedicated law enforcement officers of both Indiana and Ohio who worked tirelessly to apprehend a dangerous robbery suspect in less than 24 hours of this alleged act occurring,” said Deddens.

So why did a Dayton resident choose to come to Dearborn County to commit the robbery? The prosecutor said Watson had previously been employed by a company based in West Harrison.

Detective Gena Allen of the Dearborn County Sheriff's Department worked the case along with detectives Shane McHenry, Carl Pieczonka, and Rodney Rimstidt of the Dearborn-Ohio County Special Crimes Unit.