ARMED ROBBERY SUSPECT ARRESTED
Two men face
charges for a May armed robbery in DeBary
during which the pair had hoped to relieve a
man of his poker winnings from an evening of
playing in Daytona Beach. The robbers were
unlucky, though, in that they only managed
to walk away with about $10, and are now the
subjects of arrest warrants. The men were
done in by an anonymous tipster,
surveillance cameras and determined
investigative work by the Volusia County
Sheriff’s Office. Phillip Niles Jr., 18,
turned himself in early Wednesday morning
and Eric Roberts, 19, is expected to be
arrested on his warrant in Illinois where he
now lives.
The pair’s
robbery scheme started May 18 at a poker
room at the Daytona Beach Kennel Club,
Daytona Beach. The investigation revealed
that Niles had recruited Roberts to help him
rob a winning player when that player drove
home. Niles had obtained a shotgun from a
friend’s house while that friend was out of
town. They then went to the Club and Roberts
went inside to scout out the players. He
identified about four people who had piles
of chips and then he went outside to report
to Niles. They agreed to target the first of
those winners who left the Club. Thus,
DeBary resident Daniel Partridge became
their victim when he walked out at about
11:30 p.m.
The robbers in
Roberts’ parents’ car followed Partridge for
about 27 miles to his house on Alemander
Avenue. Niles then donned a ski mask and
grabbed the shotgun, which was actually not
loaded. He confronted Partridge as the
victim was getting out of his car in the
driveway. Niles demanded cash, but during
the confrontation Partridge managed to
secretly drop his wallet into his car. When
Niles ordered Partridge to empty his
pockets, there was nothing there. Partridge
did eventually hand over a work apron with
about $10 in it. Roberts didn’t like how
long the robbery was taking and so from the
truck’s driver’s seat told Niles to hurry
up. Niles told Partridge “You’re lucky” and
then got into the truck and the pair drove
away.
In early
September a tipster who asked to remain
anonymous contacted the Club’s security
personnel. The tipster had heard about the
robbery through some friends and those
friends relayed to him Niles’ and Roberts’
names. Sgt. Virgil Ford and Investigator
Charles Lee from the Sheriff’s Office’s
DeBary substation took full advantage of
this break, but they needed to gather enough
evidence to nail the case shut. First, they
reviewed the Club’s surveillance video and
identified Roberts scouting the poker
tables, and saw the pair’s vehicle in the
parking lot. Next, they obtained cell phone
records of the two suspects that showed that
the pair had used their phones while in the
area of the Club, during travel to DeBary,
and finally returning to Daytona Beach, all
within the timeframe of the robbery.
Ford and Lee
gave the information they gathered to local
police in Illinois who then sat down with
Roberts to discuss the incident. Roberts
admitted to his role in the robbery.
Meanwhile, investigators found Niles in
Daytona Beach, but he never admitted to or
denied having robbed Partridge. Nonetheless,
Investigator Lee had enough evidence to
obtain arrest warrants Tuesday signed by
circuit court judge Frank Mariott. Niles’
warrant charged him with principal to armed
robbery, and he turned himself in at the
Volusia County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach
with no bond allowed. Police in Illinois
will be notified about Roberts’ arrest
warrant, which is for armed robbery.
Update:
10/22/09
Eric Roberts, 19, who is the subject of an
arrest warrant charging him with armed
robbery for a May incident in DeBary, turned
himself at the Volusia County Justice Center
in Daytona Beach Thursday. He walked in at
approximately 12:43 p.m. and was
subsequently transported to the Volusia
County Branch Jail in Daytona Beach with no
bond allowed.
