A Covington man found guilty of eight armed robberies, including seven dollar stores within a nine-day period, was sentenced to 20 years in prison Thursday, authorities said.
Wayne Patterson, 39, was identified as a suspect in the string of dollar store robberies in September 2018 while in jail on another armed robbery charge, AJC.com previously reported.
MORE: FBI: 'Serial armed robber' ID'd, was already in jail in Newton County
He was arrested by Covington police after allegedly robbing the discount clothing store Citi Trends. An employee was able to write down the license plate of Patterson’s getaway car, which helped police nab him, U.S. Attorney BJay Pak said in a news release.
After seeing news reports and photos of the then-unidentified “serial armed robber,” police contacted the FBI, saying they believed Patterson matched the suspect’s description.
RELATED: FBI: 'Serial armed robber' targeted 7 dollar stores over 9 days
Patterson was then charged in connection with every robbery. He was accused of browsing inside the stores, selecting an item to supposedly purchase and then holding the cashier at gunpoint, demanding money, the release said.
In addition to the Citi Trends robbery, he was accused of robbing:
• Family Dollar store on Ga. 138 in Conyers on July 20.
• Dollar General store on Lakewood Avenue in southwest Atlanta on July 21.
• Family Dollar on Ga. 138 in Riverdale on July 23.
• Family Dollar on Veterans Memorial Parkway in Mableton on July 24.
• Dollar General on Ga. 138 in Riverdale on July 26.
• Family Dollar on Ga. 138 in Jonesboro on July 27.
• Family Dollar on Tara Boulevard in Jonesboro on July 28.
He pleaded guilty to eight counts of robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence, the release said. After his 20 years in prison, he will spend five years on supervised release.
Patterson’s case was investigated by the FBI and police departments in Atlanta, Clayton County, Cobb County, Conyers, Covington and Riverdale.
In other news:
About the Author
