The final suspect wanted by police for a series of armored car robberies in metro Atlanta surrendered on Friday, DeKalb police said.
Edward Thornton turned himself in at DeKalb County Police Headquarters at about 11 a.m., a police spokesperson said. He remained at police headquarters Friday afternoon and will be taken to jail later in the day, police said.
His first appearance in court has not been set.
Thornton and four others are suspected in eight metro Atlanta armed robberies beginning in fall 2010, police said.
A first appearance hearing was held Friday for two of three men charged in that string of armored car robberies in DeKalb and Gwinnett counties. A third suspect in custody waived his first hearing.
Gwinnett Magistrate Judge William F. Brogdon denied a motion by attorney Bruce Harvey to bar cameras from the courtroom; Harvey then moved to waive the appearance for his client, Quinton Lamar Booker. Brogdon agreed to Harvey's request.
Hearings were held for two other suspects, Ashley Henderson, 27, and Stacey Dooley, 34. Brogdon assigned court-appointed attorneys for both men after reading the list of charges against them.
The judge told Henderson that three agencies had holds against him if he were to eventually bond out of the Gwinnett County jail. He did not have details on the holds, which were issued by Georgia Department of Corrections, DeKalb County and city of Decatur.
Dooley has holds on him from DeKalb and Cobb counties and the state of North Carolina, Brogdon said. All three men will be held without bond until their preliminary hearings, scheduled for April 27. Neither of the two suspects spoke other than to briefly answer yes or no to the judge's questions.
Dooley and Henderson have each been charged with murder and aggravated assault in the March 25 shooting death of armored car guard Gary Castillo outside a Kroger store in Toco Hill. DeKalb investigators believe another man was also involved, but he was not yet in custody.
Henderson and Dooley are also facing charges in Gwinnett County, where they face three counts of armed robbery and three counts of conspiracy to commit armed robbery, Gwinnett County police said Thursday afternoon. They are being held in the Gwinnett County jail. Booker is charged with three counts of armed robbery.
Henderson is a convicted felon who has served three previous sentences in state prison, according to the Department of Corrections. Henderson was just released earlier this month after a burglary conviction. Dooley also has a criminal record and is currently listed as an absconder from probation on the North Carolina Department of Corrections website.
Booker, Henderson and Dooley are among five people charged in the string of armored car robberies. One, 28-year-old Edward Thornton, is still being sought by Gwinnett County police. Thornton faces two counts of armed robbery, according to Cpl. Jake Smith.
Across town, Marietta police also arrested 32-year-old Veronica Bullard of Lithia Springs. Bullard, who has been charged with armed robbery and conspiracy to commit armed robbery, was employed by Dunbar Armored until her arrest, police said. She also is expected to face charges in Gwinnett County, police said.
Bullard is accused of conspiring with Booker, Dooley and another man named Chris Bennett in robbing a courier at gunpoint on South Marietta Parkway, Officer Jennifer Murphy with Marietta police said. Bennett was later a homicide victim in DeKalb County, Murphy said.
In addition to the shooting death in DeKalb County, investigators believe those in custody are responsible for three robberies in Gwinnett County in late 2010, one robbery in Marietta in October, and a robbery in DeKalb County in January.
Reporter Kristi E. Swartz contributed to this article
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