Three charged in robberies in Fan, VCU area

Richmond police have several suspects in one set of robberies in the Fan District and neighborhoods around Virginia Commonwealth University, with three people in custody and two more possibly facing indictment on robbery charges next month.

Police have charged two men from Henrico County and one from the city's East End in six armed robberies in the Fan, Oregon Hill and Carver neighborhoods from late August through mid-September. They said two other suspects may have been involved in the robberies, which were carried out with a driver waiting nearby in a car.

"This was the big first wave after students came back at the end of August and beginning of September," said Richmond police Maj. John Keohane, area commander for the 3rd and 4th precincts.

VCU spokeswoman Pam Lepley said the university was pleased with the arrests in the robberies, most of which occurred within the jurisdiction of VCU police but not on campus. "These were robberies we were concerned about," she said. "We knew early on that Richmond police were on top of it."

However, Keohane warned that police are now focusing on a second set of robberies in the same area, committed since late September.

"We are following leads for the second set of robberies," he said yesterday.

Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Elizabeth A. Hobbs said the three suspects and possibly two others will be indicted on robbery charges by a grand jury in December. The three men have been held without bond on arrest warrants pending indictment. They were arrested in late September to early October, police said.

Police said the other two suspects are not in custody in Richmond, but they did not say whether they were being held in other jurisdictions.

The three men who have been charged are:

• Jayquan L. Perry, 19, of the 500 block of Patrick Avenue in the city's East End;

• Brian A. Walker, 18, of the 3800 block of Pinewood Glen Lane in Henrico; and

• Dennis J. Loney, 23, of Glen Allen.

Perry has been charged in three robberies within five days in September in Oregon Hill and Carver. He is charged with five counts of robbery, five counts of abduction and 10 counts of using a firearm in a robbery Sept. 9 in the First block of South Brunswick Street; one count of robbery on Sept. 11 in the 100 block of South Cherry Street; and four counts of robbery, one count of attempted robbery and five counts of using a firearm in a felony Sept. 13 in the 700 block of Norton Street in Carver.

Walker also was charged in the Norton Street robbery, as well as three other robberies in five days in late August. He is charged with two counts of robbery, two counts of abduction, four counts of use of a firearm in a felony and one count of possessing a firearm as a convicted felon in a robbery committed Aug. 25 in the 2400 block of West Main Street in the Fan District. He is charged with five counts of robbery, five counts of abduction, 10 counts of felony use of a firearm and one felony firearm possession in a robbery Aug. 27 in the First block of South Vine Street. He also was charged with armed robbery Aug. 29 in the 800 block of Cumberland Street.

Loney has been charged in the robbery on Sept. 11 on Cherry Street, as well as an armed robbery Sept. 19 in the 800 block of Cumberland Street.

"With these really strong cases, we're going for maximum penalties," Keohane said.

Contact Michael Martz at (804) 649-6964 or .