Second man sentenced in CVS robbery given probation

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Jaron K. Griffin

HANCOCK COUNTY — The second man accused of taking part in an armed robbery of the CVS in Greenfield in December, 2021, had his case closed when a plea agreement was accepted by Magistrate Cody Coombs in Hancock County Superior Court 1 on Aug. 17.

Jaron K. Griffin, 21, Indianapolis, was given a six-year term to be served at the Indiana Department of Corrections. All of the term was suspended to probation with the first year to be served on home detention as a condition of probation.

As part of the plea deal, Griffin admitted guilt to the Level 4 felony charge of pharmacy robbery while the two other charges, a Level 5 felony count of robbery and a Class A misdemeanor charge of resisting law enforcement, were dismissed.

Prosecutor Brent Eaton said Griffin was given an appropriate sentence for his role in the crime, noting the six-year term is the advised, standard sentence for a Level 4 felony.

“The other man in this crime was the ring leader, and he too received an appropriate sentence,” Eaton said. “We did not plea this case down to a lower charge.”

Eaton went on to say that the recommendation for Griffin to serve his term on probation was part of Griffin’s pre-sentence investigation report, which indicated that Griffin was unlikely to re-offend. Eaton also noted that the remainder of Griffin’s term would be served in prison should Griffin violate any terms of his probation over the next six years.

Griffin and Arian L. Craig, 24, Indianapolis, both took part in the robbery, officials said. Craig had his case settled in a plea agreement in July. Craig ended up pleading guilty to two of four charges and was given an eight-year term for each crime with the sentences to run concurrently. As part of his plea deal, a Level 5 felony charge of robbery and a Class A misdemeanor charge of resisting law enforcement were dismissed.

Craig admitted guilt to a Level 4 felony count of unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and to a Level 4 felony count of a pharmacy robbery. Craig was sentenced to eight years for each crime with five years to be executed and three years suspended to probation. Two of those years are to be served on home detention as a condition of the probation.

Craig and Griffin, were arrested after officials say they robbed the CVS Pharmacy at 1233 N. State St. just after 2 a.m. Dec. 28, 2021.

According to a probable cause affidavit, the two men entered the CVS Pharmacy and demanded one of the people working in the store to open the safe. The affidavit states one of the robbers grabbed one of the workers by her arms and then went through her pockets looking for a combination to the safe. The employee told the two the safe was on a timer and the employees did not have the combination.

A second employee working in the pharmacy said the robbers told them they were not there to hurt them but wanted oxycodone. That’s when one of the men started grabbing prescriptions that had been prepared for others, the affidavit said.

After a 911 call was made, officers from the Greenfield Police Department quickly spotted the suspect’s car and briefly chased it as it left the area. The two men tried to flee after crashing their car near the roundabout at McKenzie Road and Broadway Street, but police quickly captured them.

No one inside the store was injured during the robbery. A quantity of medication was found inside the suspects’ vehicle, police said in the affidavit.