Three women arrested for alleged role in two robberies in Washington’s West End
Amber Lee Campbell is led from the office of District Judge Robert Redlinger by Washington police Detective Daniel Rush following her arraignment Thursday on charges in connection with her alleged role in the robberies of two West End businesses last week. Following her are Kimberly Campbell and Britany Ellis, who are accused of hindering the apprehension of robbery suspect Stacey Hughes.
Stacey Hughes
Celeste Van Kirk/Observer-ReporterAmber Lee Campbell is led from the office of District Judge Robert Redlinger by Washington police Detective Daniel Rush following her arraignment Thursday on charges in connection with her alleged role in the robberies of two West End businesses last week. Following her are Kimberly Campbell and Britany Ellis, who are accused of hindering the apprehension of robbery suspect Stacey Hughes.
Three women were arrested Thursday afternoon by Washington police for their alleged roles in last week’s robberies of two businesses about a block apart from each other in the city’s West End and the apprehension of the suspected robber.
Britany Ellis, 29, of 300 Sunset Boulevard, South Strabane Township, and Amber Lee Campbell, 21, of 500 W. Chestnut St., Washington, are each accused of helping Stacey Hughes to plan the Oct. 21 robbery at the 7-Eleven, 375 W. Chestnut St., and the Oct. 22 robbery of the West End Bottle Shop, 20 Cumberland Ave. Ellis, Campbell and Kimberly Campbell, 38, also of 500 W. Chestnut, allegedly hindered the efforts of city police in apprehending Hughes after the bottle shop robbery. Police said Kimberly Campbell is Amber Campbell’s aunt.
City police Detective Dan Rush said he has evidence to support Ellis and Amber Campbell helped Hughes plan the robberies.
Hughes is accused of robbing both businesses at knifepoint. She is accused of tying up the convenience clerk with duct tape before fleeing from the store with cash, leaving behind the knife and Newport cigarettes she had also demanded. The following night, she robbed the bottle shop, stealing cash and a 12-pack of beer.
Rush said that the owner of the bottle shop checked surveillance and recognized Hughes as being in the business with Ellis and Amber Campbell on the afternoon of the robbery. He does not believe they were casing the business but the robbery may have partially been in retaliation for being asked to leave the bottle shop.
Hughes reportedly went to the apartment shared by the Campbells after the robbery. Kimberly Campbell reportedly told Rush that she was asleep and did not know Hughes was at the apartment.
”She said she kicked her out as soon as she found out that she was there,” Rush said.
Rush said last week that he had a hunch that the knives may have been stolen. An employee of Dollar General recognized Hughes on store surveillance and called police to report her as a suspicious person. An officer was able to identify Hughes. Rush said her photograph on a police computer network did not match her current appearance, but he checked her Facebook page, which did reflect her current appearance.
Hughes was taken into custody Friday after police received a tip that she was in the 900 block of Jefferson Avenue. She is in Washington County Jail on $20,000 bond, awaiting a preliminary hearing tentatively scheduled for Monday before District Judge Robert Redlinger.
All three were arraigned before Redlinger. Ellis and Amber Campbell are charged with two counts of conspiracy to commit robbery and one count of hindering apprehension. Ellis is also charged with unsworn falsification to police. Kimberly Campbell is charged with one count of hindering apprehension. All three were placed in Washington County Jail on $5,000 percentage bond. They are scheduled for preliminary hearings before Redlinger on Nov. 9.