Two Waterford men were arrested by Oakland County Sheriff’s deputies in Orion Friday night for the robbery of the Dollar Discount store at 1460 S. Lapeer Rd. in the Oxford Mills strip mall.
During questioning, Jeffery Allen Gibbs, 33, and Daniel Laurence LeDuke, 23, confessed to sheriff’s investigators their involvement in the robberies of Dollar Discount around 7:19 p.m. June 27 and the Heckle & Jeckle Party Store (located at 27 N. Washington in downtown Oxford) on Thursday, June 19, according to the police report.
Each man was charged with ‘larceny from person? for the Dollar Discount robbery and arraigned in Rochester Hills 52-3 District Court on Saturday.
Gibbs is being held in Oakland County Jail in lieu of a $100,000 bond and LeDuke in lieu of a $50,000 bond.
Oxford Village Police Chief Mike Neymanowski said Gibbs and LeDuke were both charged on Tuesday with armed robbery in the Heckle & Jeckle case. The pair will be arraigned in 52-3 District Court today.
If convicted of armed robbery, Gibbs and LeDuke face up to 20 years in prison.
According to the sheriff’s report, Gibbs entered the Dollar Discount store Friday night and purchased two balloons.
When the 60-year-old cashier opened the register during the sale, Gibbs allegedly reached into the drawer, grabbed $130 in cash (four $20 bills and one $50 bill) and fled the store on foot to nearby Parkhurst Estates on Moon Road, the sheriff’s report stated.
Two witnesses inside the store observed Gibbs fleeing the scene and attempted to chase him down, but were unsuccessful.
Waiting for Gibbs in a 1994 Dodge Shadow parked near the basketball courts in the trailer park was the alleged getaway driver LeDuke, the sheriff’s report stated.
The two fled south on M-24, west on Clarkston Rd. and then south on Joslyn Road.
Soon after, sheriff’s deputies stopped the getaway car on Joslyn Road, south of Clarkston Road, and arrested the men.
Gibbs confessed to deputies at the arrest scene that he had just robbed the Dollar Discount store in Oxford. Later, he again confessed to the crime during questioning by the sheriff’s investigator.
Inside the car, deputies found two deflated balloons inside a white plastic bag and a receipt from Dollar Discount. Deputies recovered $130 from Gibbs? left shoe.
The report stated Gibbs later confessed to the sheriff’s investigator that he robbed the Heckle & Jeckle Party Store of $260 on June 19.
Sheriff’s Lt. Al Whitefield said Gibbs allegedly committed the crimes to finance his alcohol and drug habits.
When sheriff’s investigators asked Gibbs if he ever implied that he had a gun during either robbery, the suspect said ‘no,? adding that he ‘never carries a gun.?
However, according to the village police report, the 33-year-old female cashier at Heckle & Jeckle stated that during the robbery, Gibbs had his right hand in his pants pocket, as if he was holding a gun.
The cashier stated that Gibbs told her to put the register money in a bag and ‘he wouldn’t shoot me.?
LeDuke confessed to sheriff’s investigators that he drove the getaway car during both robberies, adding that ‘his cut (in the Heckle & Jeckle robbery) was cigarettes and beer? purchased at a party store on Joslyn Rd. immediately following the crime.
Whitefield told this reporter that had the village police cooperated with sheriff’s investigators earlier last week, the Dollar Discount robbery ‘could have been prevented.?
Whitefield said shortly after the Heckle & Jeckle robbery, a sheriff’s investigator made contact with a local source who believed Gibbs was responsible based on the physical description publicized by village police.
On Monday, June 23, Whitefield said this investigator contacted the village police, told them about the source and requested a copy of the party store surveillance tape, which allegedly showed Gibbs during the robbery, for the source to view and possibly identify the assailant.
However, the sheriff’s department didn’t receive a copy of the tape, despite making ‘more than one request,? until June 30, Whitefield said.
If the source had been able to view the tape and positively identify Gibbs, Whitefield said the suspect could have been ‘picked up off the street? by law enforcement before the Dollar Discount robbery.
‘Our robbery should have never happened,? the lieutenant said. ‘I’m very disappointed we didn’t receive that tape in a timely fashion. Thank God no one was hurt.?
Whitefield said he spoke with Village Police Chief Mike Neymanowski on June 30 about the incident.
He said the chief told him it was a ‘breakdown in communication? that prevented the tape from reaching the sheriff’s department.
Whitefield said Neymanowski ‘assured? him ‘full cooperation? in the future and said the two departments must ‘get together more frequently to pass on information.?
Neymanowski told this reporter that his department was ‘not holding anything back? from the sheriff and said the incident was the result of a ‘lack of communication.?
He said he received a note that stated a sheriff’s investigator needed a copy of a report, not a tape.
‘Nobody ever called me about it,? the chief said.
Neymanowski said he believes the two departments ‘work well together? overall and the sheriff’s department did a ‘good job? handling the robbery cases.