Second Arrest in Pizza Hut Robbery
By Staff
Town police on Thursday, June 26, charged a second man in the four-year-old robbery of Pizza Hut.
Police charged Fredericksburg resident Garrett Michael Sheffield, 26, with robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and accessory to abduction.
In December 2007, police charged Ernest J. Brooks, Jr., 28, also of Fredericksburg with the robbery. A grand jury returned direct indictments charging Brooks with armed robbery, wearing a mask, conspiracy to commit robbery, use of a firearm in commission of a felony and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
But even after the first arrest three years after the crime, Culpeper Police Lt. Chris Settle said police continued to work the case.
The robbery occurred on Oct. 16, 2004, around 10:54 p.m. A man wearing a Halloween mask and carrying what appeared to be handgun demanded cash. The masked gunman ordered the employee and customer into the freezer before taking an undisclosed amount and fleeing out the back door.
Three years later new information pointed toward Brooks, a former Pizza Hut employee, according to Lt. Chris Settle. In turn, his arrest allegedly lead police to Sheffield.
Sheffield is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in general district court on Wednesday, Aug. 6. Brooks is scheduled to face a jury in circuit court Wednesday, Sept. 3. The court has set aside two days for the trial.