Columbus Man Charged For 6 Central Ohio Armed Robberies

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A federal grand jury has charged Thomas E. Shaffer, 62, of Columbus, Ohio, with six armed robberies in an indictment returned in Columbus.

Carter M. Stewart, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, Delaware County Sheriff Russell L. Martin, Angela L. Byers, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Cincinnati Field Division, Donald Soranno, Special Agent in Charge, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Delaware County Prosecutor Carol O’Brien, Columbus Police Chief Kim Jacobs, Gahanna Police Chief Dennis Murphy, Powell Police Chief Gary L. Vest and Worthington Police Chief James Mosic announced the indictment returned today.

The indictment alleges that on six different occasions, Shaffer robbed establishments in Central Ohio while armed. Specifically, Shaffer allegedly robbed The Pub in Gahanna, Ohio; Halftime Tavern in Columbus, Ohio; Brew-Stirs on 23 in Columbus, Ohio; Lazy Chameleon in Powell, Ohio; Villa Nova in Worthington, Ohio and Aldi in Lewis Center, Ohio between March 2014 and December 2014 while brandishing a firearm.

Shaffer was indicted on six counts of robbery, a crime punishable by up to 20 years in prison and six counts of using a firearm during the commission of the robberies. Brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence carries a potential penalty of seven years in prison for the first count of conviction and up to 25 years of prison consecutively for each additional count.

U.S. Attorney Stewart commended law enforcement’s cooperative investigation of this case, and Assistant United States Attorney David DeVillers and Special Assistant United States Attorney Brian Martinez, who are prosecuting the case.

An indictment merely contains allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.