Police: Deadly crash ends robbery spree at On the Beat in the Bluegrass

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Police: Deadly crash ends robbery spree

Published

by

H-L Justice Team

on December 24, 2008

.

The Associated Press

LOUISVILLE — Louisville police believe two men involved in a robbery and high-speed chase that ended with one of the men being fatally shot by officers were responsible for 56 robberies dating to 2001.

Police Lt. Jim Mueller told The Courier-Journal Robert Keith Thornton, 43, was charged with 45 counts of robbery Tuesday.

Thornton was arrested early Monday after police said he and Kevin Lamont Sneed, 40, held up a Wendy’s restaurant and led officers on a high-speed chase. Sneed was shot by officers after he allegedly refused to throw down his gun during the incident, which ended in Jeffersonville, Ind.

Police say the men mostly targeted fast-food restaurants in a string of robberies in the Louisville area dating back to 2001, but also held up pharmacies, casual dining establishments and retail stores.

Thornton was being held at Louisville Metro Corrections on $750,000 bond. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney. He is scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 5.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Ashlee Clark is the Richmond bureau reporter for the Herald-Leader. She has covered general assignments in Madison, Clark, Estill, Powell and Montgomery counties since she joined the newspaper in September 2007. Ashlee, a Louisville native, is a graduate of Western Kentucky University, where she received degrees in journalism and sociology.

Shawntaye Hopkins is the Herald-Leader’s police reporter, covering local law enforcement, fire and EMS and breaking news. She joined the staff in September 2006 as the newspaper’s night police reporter. Shawntaye, a Louisville native, graduated from Western Kentucky University where she studied journalism and criminology. Shawntaye resides in Lexington.

Delano Massey is the Herald-Leader’s Regional Editor. He works closely with the paper’s bureau reporters and police and courts reporters to plan coverage, pursue breaking news and seek out enterprise stories. A Northeast Ohio native, Delano started his journalism career as a night cops reporter at the Belleville News-Democrat. In 2003, he made the trek to Lexington to take the reins as the newspaper’s daytime cops reporter. Delano, a graduate of the University of Akron, has won numerous awards for breaking news, spot news and investigative journalism.