DAVENPORT, Iowa -- Two men accused of making off with $75,000 worth of cell phones and tablets from a store were captured after police say a GPS tracker in their stash gave up their location.
Christopher Ronald Martin, age 35 and Duqwain Cornell Hopkins, age 22, were arrested Thursday, December 27 after an armed robbery, according to affidavits from the Scott County Court.
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The robbery happened around 6:15 p.m. at the Sprint Phones Store on Elmore Avenue. According to the affidavits, Martin went into the store wearing a black ski mask and gloves. He pointed a loaded .380 semi-automatic handgun at the clerk, announced it was a robbery, and forced the clerk to open a safe. That's when he took 70 new cell phones and five tablets, placing them in a large duffle bag that he had brought with him.
Police said Martin also took cash from the store before riding away in a 1998 Ford Contour driven by Hopkins. The two fled northbound on Elmore Avenue with the stolen merchandise.
"One of the stolen cell phone boxes contained a GPS tracker," read the affidavit.
Because of that, officers were able to find Martin and Hopkins at a gas station on Spring Street and East Kimberly Road. Police searched their car and found the clothing Martin wore during the robbery, the duffle bag containing phones and tablets, the GPS tracker, and the loaded gun.
Both Martin and Hopkins were arrested, charged with first-degree theft and first-degree robbery. Martin was also charged with control of firearm by a felon; he was previously convicted of an armed robbery in March of 2005 in Rock Island County.
