Two 21-year-old Lee County residents who were arrested after posting social media images of their alleged mid-September robberies are now facing charges of Hobbs Act robbery. They could receive up to 20- years in prison if convicted.
A criminal complaint charging Taleah Williams, North Fort Myers, and Javion Ward, Fort Myers, with Hobbs Act robbery was filed Monday.
According to the complaint, Williams and Ward conspired to commit numerous armed robberies the week of September 15, in Hillsborough, Sumter, Manatee, and Sarasota counties, all in close proximity to I-75. For each robbery, Williams or Ward entered the stores armed with a firearm and demanded money from the clerk.
The complaint alleges that Williams devised a plan to rob stores near I-75. She provided the vehicle and the firearm that they would use. On September 16, Ward and Williams drove to a convenience store in Tampa. Ward entered the store, brandished a pistol, and demanded money, obtaining about $600.
In the early morning of September 17, Williams and Ward drove to a gas station in Lake Panasoffkee, where Williams attempted to rob the store using the same firearm, before she ultimately left without taking any money.
In the morning of September 19, Williams drove Ward to four more stores — in Gibsonton, Ellenton, Nokomis, and North Port — where each time Ward entered with a firearm and demanded money. In Gibsonton, Ward jumped over the counter to attempt to access the safe. In Ellenton, he threated to pistol whip the employee if they did not move faster.
A few hours after the last of the robberies, Williams posted photos on social media of Williams and Ward, with Ward holding cash in both hands.
Law enforcement executed a search warrant at Williams’s residence the morning of September 20, recovering items matching the clothing Williams and Ward had worn.
These arrests were the result of an investigation led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, the Tampa Police Department, the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office, the North Port Police Department, the Fort Myers Police Department, and the Venice Police Department.
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