Plate reader catches robbber

News

October 18, 2018 - 11:25 AM

TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) — Prosecutors are crediting data from a license plate reader for narrowing the search for the suspect in the robbery of a Walgreens store in Topeka.

The U.S. attorney’s office said in a news release Wednesday that 42-year-old Bill Oliver Chavez of Topeka was charged with one count of robbing a commercial business.

Prosecutors say the suspect lifted his shirt at the store to show the cashier what appeared to be the butt of a gun. The cashier emptied the register.

Surveillance video showed the robber was driving a four-door Nissan Maxima with a sunroof. An investigator then used license plate reader data to search for similar cars and owners.

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