Co-defendants Both Sentenced to 4 Years for Robbing Clerks at Norfolk Store Twice
NORFOLK, Va. — La’Tavius Dae’Shawn Wood and Mahogany Denise Hicklin, both 23, were sentenced on Thursday to each serve four years in prison for robbing clerks at the same store twice, both times at gunpoint, in a span of two months.
On July 29 before 10 p.m., Mr. Wood and Ms. Hicklin walked into the Dollar General at 3350 Chesapeake Blvd. dressed in dark clothing and wearing face coverings. A store clerk called 911 to report the suspicious individuals and that he believed he was about to be robbed. After he called 911, Mr. Wood and Ms. Hicklin finished walking around the store and came to the register. Mr. Wood pulled out a firearm and demanded cash from the registers that the victim was manning. The victim gave the pair cash, and they fled the store before police arrived. Investigators canvassed the area but could not find either suspect, they interviewed witnesses who provided descriptions of Mr. Wood and Ms. Hicklin, and they collected the store surveillance footage of the robbery.
On Sept. 23, also just before 10 p.m., Mr. Wood and Ms. Hickin committed another robbery at the same Dollar General in the same manner. A witness called 911 and told dispatch that the pair fled in a Toyota Highlander, and within minutes, officers spotted the Toyota and pursued it. Mr. Wood, who was driving, eventually lost control and crashed the vehicle into a tree near the Interstate 64 off-ramp to Chesapeake Boulevard. Mr. Wood and Ms. Hickin were arrested, the stolen cash from the second robbery was recovered, and they both confessed to committing the July robbery as well.
On Feb. 15, Mr. Wood and Ms. Hicklin both pleaded guilty to two counts of armed robbery and conspiring to commit robbery. Judge Tasha D. Scott accepted their plea agreements, which called for maximum active sentences of six years.
On Thursday, Judge Scott sentenced both co-defendants to serve four years in prison and suspended 10 additional years in prison on the conditions that Mr. Wood and Ms. Hicklin both complete five years of uniform good behavior and supervised probation following their releases.
“Mr. Wood and Ms. Hicklin committed two dangerous robberies. They nearly got away with the first once, but then they tested their luck, and thanks to the service of an eyewitness and quick work by the police, they were arrested, and we were able to secure convictions against them,” said Commonwealth’s Attorney Ramin Fatehi. “We will continue to prosecute and hold accountable the people who commit dangerous and violent felonies in our city.”
Assistant Commonwealth’s J. Drew Fairbanks prosecuted both cases on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Jose R. Oyola led the investigation.
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Feb. 16, 2024
Man and Woman Convicted of Robbing Same Norfolk Dollar General Twice
NORFOLK, Va. — La’Tavius Dae’Shawn Wood, 22, and Mahogany Denise Hicklin, 23, were both convicted on Thursday of robbery and conspiring to commit robbery after the duo robbed clerks at the same Dollar General store twice in a span of two months in 2023.
On July 29 before 10 p.m., Mr. Wood and Ms. Hicklin walked into the Dolar General at 3350 Chesapeake Blvd. dressed in dark clothing and wearing face coverings. A store clerk called 911 to report the suspicious individuals and that he believed he was about to be robbed. After he called 911, Mr. Wood and Ms. Hicklin finished walking around the store and came to the register. Mr. Wood pulled out a firearm and demanded cash from the registers that the victim was manning. The victim gave the pair cash, and they fled the store before police arrived. Investigators canvassed the area but could not find either suspect, they interviewed witnesses who provided descriptions of Mr. Wood and Ms. Hicklin, and they collected the store surveillance footage of the robbery.
On Sept. 23, also just before 10 p.m., Mr. Wood and Ms. Hickin committed another robbery at the same Dollar General in the same manner. A witness called 911 and told dispatch that the pair fled in a Toyota Highlander, and within minutes, officers spotted the Toyota and began pursuing it. Mr. Wood, who was driving, eventually lost control and crashed the vehicle into a tree near the Interstate 64 off-ramp onto Chesapeake Boulevard. Mr. Wood and Ms. Hickin were arrested, the stolen cash from the second robbery was recovered, and they both confessed to committing the July robbery.
On Thursday, Mr. Wood and Ms. Hicklin pleaded guilty to two counts each of robbery and conspiring to commit robbery, and Judge Tasha D. Scott accepted their plea agreements with maximum active sentences of six years. They are both docketed for sentencing on May 10.
Assistant Commonwealth’s J. Drew Fairbanks is prosecuting both cases on behalf of the Commonwealth, and Norfolk Police Detective Jose R. Oyola led the investigation.
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