TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — A couple from Fort Myers has been charged after committing a string of armed robberies along I-75 last week, U.S. Attorney Greg Kehoe said.
Starting on September 16, the pair went on a crime spree, robbing five stores over three days.
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Kehoe said that Taleah Williams, 21, was the mastermind behind the plan and provided the vehicle and firearm used during the robberies.
On Sept. 16, they drove to a convenience store in Tampa, where Javion Ward, 21, went in, brandished a pistol and stole around $600. The following morning, Williams attempted to rob a gas station in Lake Panasoffkee, but was unsuccessful and left without taking any money.
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Two days later, the couple committed a string of robberies in four Gulf Coast cities, all near I-75. Stores in Gibsonton, Ellenton, Nokomis and North Port were hit, Kehoe said.
In Gibsonton, Ward jumped over the counter to try and get to the safe, and in Ellenton, he threatened to pistol-whip an employee for not moving fast enough.
Within hours of the final robbery, Williams posted a video of her and Ward on social media, in which he was holding wads of cash in both hands…