A Douglasville man with a long criminal history was identified as a suspect in two armed robberies last month on Atlanta’s east side, including one incident that prompted a locally owned coffee shop to close its doors.
Hodgepodge Coffeehouse announced its north Moreland Avenue location would be closed indefinitely after an employee was robbed at gunpoint. The business said it would not reopen until “the city addresses the systemic issues that have been raised dozens of times over the last three years about that corridor of Moreland,” according to a series of Facebook posts.
The Jan. 20 robbery was the second Atlanta police have connected to the same suspect, 58-year-old David Gregory Miller. Miller was taken into custody Tuesday near East Atlanta Village on multiple charges related to the incidents at Hodepodge and a CVS pharmacy in the Old Fourth Ward, police announced Thursday in a news release.
According to investigators, the CVS in the 400 block of Highland Avenue was robbed at gunpoint Jan. 19. Store employees told police the man fled in a white Honda Pilot.
The following day, someone robbed the Hodgepodge location in Reynoldstown. This time, police said the suspect tried to pull a female employee’s pants down during the robbery, according to store workers who told officers the man also stole an employee’s car.
Detectives from the police department’s robbery unit identified Miller as a suspect in both crimes. Miller has 19 arrest cycles in Georgia and has been convicted of a felony, according to Atlanta police. He has not served time in a Georgia prison, state records show.
Lt. Ryan Stephens, commander of the robbery unit, said investigators linked him to the crimes through his vehicle, which was spotted Tuesday morning and tailed to the Atlanta Motel along Moreland Avenue.
According to arresting officers, he immediately tossed drug paraphernalia toward the front of the SUV as he exited. Officers arrested him and recovered the paraphernalia.
Miller is facing charges of armed robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, sexual battery and theft by taking. He is also under investigation for possible involvement in other robberies, according to Thursday’s news release.
Following his arrest, Hodgepodge announced its intent to reopen the Reynoldstown location in the next few weeks. The business thanked Atlanta City Councilmember Liliana Bakhtiari for her support and quick action to implement a new safety plan.
Owners also thanked those who shared their social media posts and donated to a GoFundMe campaign for their employee, whose car had not been located as of Thursday.
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