Two Men Indicted in Robbery at Red Robin Restaurant in Topeka

TOPEKA, KS—Two men have been indicted on federal charges in connection with a robbery at a Red Robin restaurant in Topeka, U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom and Shawnee County District Attorney Chad Taylor announced today.

Derick Renee Crawford, 23, and Travis Jeremy Coffman, 35, both who are in federal custody, are charged with one count of robbery, one count of brandishing a firearm in the robbery, and one count each of unlawful possession of a firearm after a felony conviction.

The indictment alleges that on August 18, 2013, Crawford and Coffman robbed the Red Robin Restaurant at 6230 S.W. Sixth Street in Topeka. According to court documents, Crawford and Coffman are alleged to have held the employees of the restaurant at gunpoint and threatened to kill them.

Grissom said that federal prosecutors are working with the Shawnee County District Attorney, the Topeka Police Department, and the FBI on the case as part of a coordinated fight against violent crime.

“By working together, we are sending a message,” Grissom said. “Topeka is not intimidated. We will not be held at gunpoint. We will not live in fear. Armed criminals will be caught. They will be prosecuted. And if they are convicted they will go to prison.”

If convicted, the defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the robbery count; a penalty of not less than seven years—consecutive to the sentence on the robbery count—and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of brandishing a firearm; and a maximum penalty of 10 years each on the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

The Topeka Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.