Police arrest teen for July robbery of Williamsburg Subway store

Williamsburg police think they have solved the July 6 robbery of Subway restaurant and charged a 17-year-old juvenile in connection with the crime Tuesday morning.

Williamsburg Police Chief Wayne Bird said that the juvenile was charged with second-degree robbery and arraigned in juvenile court Tuesday morning.

He was released to the custody of his mother and must wear an ankle-monitoring device as part of his terms of release. An adjudication hearing is scheduled in the case next month, Bird noted.

The Williamsburg Subway robbery occurred about 8 p.m. on July 6.

The suspect came in, ordered his sandwich, and sat down to eat it.

Bird said that right after the suspect entered the store, two other males came in and ordered about $100 worth of Subway sandwiches.

"Just as soon as they walked out, he walked up with a knife and demanded money," Bird said.

Bird noted that the clerk said the robber was pretty polite despite brandishing a large fixed blade knife.

"When he walked up to the counter, he basically told her, ‘I hate to trouble you,’ then he pulled the knife out and he said, ‘but, I need you to empty the cash drawer,’" Bird said.

The suspect also had the 16-year-old clerk lift the cash drawer to make sure there were no big bills under it.

The clerk replied back telling the robber, "You can have the money as long as you don’t hurt me," Bird said. "The guy replied back and said, ‘Oh, I don’t want to go to jail.’"

Bird said that the juvenile apparently moved to Williamsburg from Knox County in June and resided in Briar Creek Trailer Park only a few hundred yards away from the restaurant.

Police got a break in the case thanks to an anonymous tip, which was phoned into the Williamsburg Fire Department, Bird said.

Once police were eventually able to get security camera footage from the restaurant, they determined that the suspect looked like the juvenile, who was charged.

The store clerk identified the suspect out of a photographic line-up, Bird said.

"We brought him down and interviewed him. He basically confessed to it," Bird said. "He’s pretty scared. I think he realizes it is a pretty serious offense. He didn’t really give a reason as to why he did what he did except that he needed some money."

The suspect told police that he burned the clothing he wore during the robbery and threw the knife over a bridge into a river in Knox County.

"Of course he spent the money," Bird said. "He ran through it pretty quick."

The juvenile has a prior charge for burglary and some truancy charges stemming from missing school, Bird said.

Initially, Williamsburg police believed that the robbery appeared to be connected with the July 3 robbery of a Mt. Sterling hair salon.

Both robberies were committed at knifepoint and the robber in the Mt. Sterling robbery took a 2005 silver Buick LeSabre from the victim.

The thief in the Williamsburg Subway robbery was seen leaving the store in a silver passenger car.

Police no longer think the two cases are connected. The getaway car that the juvenile used was his mother’s silver Oldsmobile Alero, Bird said.