Two suspects in the July 18 armed robbery of the Shell Service Station at the northwest corner of I-75 and Sashabaw Road were arrested and arraigned.
Romell Lemoyne Goodson, 28, and Cierra Latriese Horn, 18, both of Highland Park, allegedly held an employee at gunpoint while taking approximately $200 in various bills and quarters around 3:28 a.m.
An anonymous caller contacted the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office on July 20 stating the person in the publicly released surveillance video was Romell Goodson.
After researching Goodson, detectives produced a photo lineup from which the employee decisively identified Goodson as one of the persons who robbed the store.
Using another tip, deputies alerted Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit that Goodson may arrive at their facilities. On July 24, Goodson showed up at Henry Ford and was detained.
Goodson was questioned and confessed to the robbery. He was arraigned in 52-2 District Court on one count of armed robbery before Magistrate E. Chiappelli on July 25. Bond was set at $250,000 cash (no 10 percent payment for bail allowed).
On July 25 Cierra Horn, surrendered to Independence Township detectives at the OCSO Detective Bureau. She was interviewed and confessed to being an active and willing participant in the robbery.
Horn was also charged with armed robbery and arraigned July 27 according to Sergeant Baldes of the Independence Township substation. Bond was set at $50,000 (no 10 percent payment for bail allowed).
Baldes said Horn has no prior criminal record. Goodson was recently released from parole for a 1997 armed robbery conviction in Oakland County 6th Circuit Court and has a previous conviction for receiving and concealing stolen property in Detroit.
Detectives reported recovering a gun suspected in the robbery, but found no money.
‘A lot of credit goes to Detective O’Fiara and our FAT (Fugitive Apprehension Team) team. Their diligence paid off. They worked for 14 straight days watching those two and tracking them down,? said Baldes.
According to a report from the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office, the Shell station employee, James L. Thompson of White Lake, 45, reported after the robbery that the couple came into the station around 2:30 a.m. claiming they had a flat tire and needed a phone book to call for towing services. The couple asked Thompson for the best route to Flint and then left on foot toward Sashabaw Road.
The report continues that an hour later, at approximately 3:25 a.m., the couple returned, waiting for a few minutes until a customer left. According to statements Goodson then allegedly pulled a pistol and pointed it at Thompson as he and Horn went over the counter.
Goodson demanded Thompson open the safe (which he cannot do) as Horn took the cash from the register. The two then fled on foot toward Sashabaw Road and I-75 as stated in the report.
Goodson was observed making a cell phone call before the robbery and talked on the phone throughout the incident stated the report.
Baldes said both Goodson and Horn face up to 15 years in prison if convicted.