After a man was found with two gunshot wounds in DeKalb County in late December, he was tied to three armed robberies in neighboring Rockdale County, authorities said.
Sean Michael Haughton, 34, of Lithonia, is accused of back-to-back armed robberies at an adult entertainment store and a convenience store, the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office said in a Monday news release. In addition, he’s accused of a robbery days later at an adult novelties shop.
Credit: Rockdale County Sheriff's Office
Credit: Rockdale County Sheriff's Office
The crime spree began on Dec. 22 about 11 p.m. when Haughton and another suspect entered the Starship Enterprises off Ga. 138, the release said. A female employee ended up being pistol-whipped and shot twice in the leg twice during the incident, AJC.com previously reported.
RELATED: Adult store employees shot, pistol-whipped during Rockdale robberies 2 miles apart
Before she was shot, the gunmen allegedly pistol-whipped her in the face and told her to take off her clothes, another employee told deputies. When the woman refused, she was forced to the ground.
While investigators were at the scene of that robbery, a second call alerted them to the Quick Stop Superette, which is roughly two miles away on Ga. 20, the release said. Surveillance footage of this robbery, which took place at 12:30 a.m., helped investigators tie Haughton to both incidents.
Just before midnight on Dec. 27, deputies responded to Elite A off Ga. 138 after gunshots were fired, the release said. This store is within a mile of the Starship Enterprises that was robbed five days earlier.
The Elite A business owner had shot an armed gunman who entered the store. The suspect fled the scene, but DeKalb County authorities later found an injured Haughton, who matched the suspect’s description, the release said.
He has since been booked into the Rockdale County Jail, where he remains without bond, online jail records show. Haughton faces counts of armed robbery, aggravated assault, kidnapping, false imprisonment and firearm possession charges in connection with the three incidents.
Investigators have also obtained warrants for the arrest of Wallace Thomas III, who is accused of assisting Haughton, the release said. It’s unclear whether he’s the second suspect in the Starship Enterprises incident.
Anyone with information on these incidents is asked to contact the sheriff’s office at 770-278-8023.
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