It was an otherwise quiet summer night on July 11th when 56-year-old Willie Hopkins first struck, bursting into a Mobil gas station in Washtenaw County brandishing a gun and holding the terrified clerk at gunpoint. The perpetrator vanished into the darkness with the stolen cash, leaving the shaken victim behind.
Police thought it was an isolated incident, but as investigators dug deeper, a disturbing pattern emerged - Hopkins was connected to no less than 10 other armed robberies across Washtenaw County and in Ohio in less than one month alone. It quickly became clear a serial armed robber was on the loose.
The police started to scan security footage from multiple locations showing the same masked suspect brandishing a gun and forcing terrified clerks to empty their cash registers. Evidence from the police stated that cell phone records also placed Hopkins at the scene of several robberies. And when officers pulled him over late on August 8th for a traffic violation in a car matching the suspect vehicle, their suspicions were finally confirmed.
Hopkins had thought his criminality would go unchecked after that first successful job, but the trail of clues he left behind including: grainy security videos, cell phone calls, and evidence in the perpetrators vehicle connected the dots all leading directly back to him. His confirmed crimes involve robbing nine gas stations, one grocery store, and one convenience store.
Officers have now stated Hopkins could face over 25 years in federal prison if convicted on robbery and firearms charges for his violent crime spree. The peaceful community of Washtenaw County terrorized by his brazen acts can rest easy knowing Hopkins is responsible for these serial robberies and off their streets.
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Sources:
Man accused of 10 armed robberies over 28 days in Washtenaw, Monroe counties | All About Ann Arbor
Police arrest man suspected of armed robberies in Washtenaw County | All About Ann Arbor
