Police: Zip Trip clerk, teen set up robbery
A reported robbery at a north Spokane convenience store was actually a ruse cooked up by a clerk and a 13-year-old boy, police say.
Spokane police responded to a report of an armed robbery at the Zip Trip at 4807 W. Nine Mile Road about 2 a.m. this morning. Major crimes detectives determined the robbery was a “set up” by the unidentified boy and the clerk. Both face criminal charges.
K9 handler Craig Hamilton and his German shepherd, Leo, tracked the boy’s scent to a home on Royal Drive, a short distance from the convenience store, Police spokeswoman Officer Jennifer DeRuwe said in a news release. Major crimes detectives executed a search warrant at the home, where they found a rifle and other evidence related to the robbery.
Investigators determined the 13-year-old and the clerk, Robert Swan, 22, worked together.
Evidence shows the suspect entered the store, demanded money and fled on foot with an undisclosed amount of cash, DeRuwe said. Investigators spoke with the two and gathered information linking them to the incident, as well as evidence the two concocted a plan to set up the robbery.
The teen was booked into Juvenile Detention on a first-degree burglary charge. Swan was booked into Spokane County Jail for first-degree burglary, criminal conspiracy and making a false report.
“As it turns out, this particular incident needlessly consumed a variety of resources for an extended amount of time, but ultimately two individuals will face consequences for their actions,” DeRuwe said.