Three suspects are in custody after masked, armed men robbed a Groveport Dollar General on Wednesday night, with police crediting a sharp-eyed neighbor and a drone for breaking the case open within hours. Officers say the men fled the Green Pointe Drive North store in a black Ford Explorer that turned out to be stolen. Officers later searched a wooded area after an Obetz resident reported seeing a black SUV near their home and three people running toward the woods.
Masked Men Demand Cash, Flee in Stolen SUV
According to WSYX, officers responded around 9 p.m. Wednesday to a call about an armed robbery at the Dollar General located at 5800 Green Pointe Drive North in Groveport. Employees told police that masked men carrying guns demanded cash before leaving with the money in a black Ford Explorer. The law enforcement effort that followed ultimately led to the arrest of all three suspects, Groveport police said.
The break in the case came from an unexpected source. An Obetz resident contacted authorities after seeing a black SUV near their home and three people running toward a wooded area, the station's report notes. That tip gave officers a starting point to begin narrowing down where the suspects had gone.
Drone and Deputies Join the Search
Deputies from the Franklin County Sheriff's Office came to assist Groveport officers in searching for the suspects once the Obetz tip came in, per the same account. With ground searchers converging on the wooded area, law enforcement used drone technology during the search, and all three suspects were apprehended.
Two of the three suspects were found hiding under a porch, the report states, while the third was also taken into custody as part of the same operation. Police recovered cash believed to be linked to the robbery, along with two firearms, gloves and masks, evidence that investigators say connects the trio to the Dollar General heist.
Stolen SUV Now Impounded as Evidence
The Ford Explorer used by the suspects had itself been reported stolen and it has since been impounded as evidence in the case, while Groveport detectives are now handling the ongoing investigation, according to WSYX.
Drone-assisted arrests tied to armed robberies aren't unique to central Ohio. Earlier this year, the Memphis Police Department reported using similar technology to track down robbery suspects and recover firearms in Tennessee, underscoring how departments around the country are leaning on aerial tools to close out fast-moving cases.
For now, the Groveport case remains active, with detectives continuing to piece together how the robbery was carried out and what led the suspects to flee toward Obetz in the first place.
