By Beth Velliquette
The Herald-Sun
DURHAM, N.C. — A federal grand jury has indicted a former Durham firefighter on 14 counts for a series of armed robberies he allegedly committed at stores and restaurants in Durham this past spring.
In the indictments, Damon Quick is alleged to have unlawfully obstructed, delayed and affected commerce by robbery at Gamestop on North Pointe Drive, at Family Dollar on South Miami Boulevard, at Dollar General on Ganyard Farm Way, at Domino’s Pizza on West Main Street, at Capt. D’s on North Roxboro Street, at Dollar Tree on North Pointe Drive and the attempted robbery of Dollar Tree on Guess Road.
For each of the robbery and attempted robbery charges, Quick also was indicted for brandishing a firearm during those incidents.
In all, the indictments alleged Quick stole cash and property valued at a total of $8,376 from the businesses.
Quick, 35, is facing at least 15 counts of armed robbery and seven counts of kidnapping in state court. After his arrest in June outside of a store on Guess Road, Quick attempted suicide in the Durham County Jail and was hospitalized in critical condition for several days.
On Tuesday when he was brought into the courtroom wearing the standard orange jumpsuit, he appeared healthy and spoke back and forth with his family members sitting in the gallery before court started.
Quick’s attorney, Randy Griffin, told the judge that Quick’s family supported him and that his wife, who suffers from multiple sclerosis, needs him at home. He requested that Quick’s bond be reduced to $500,000 from $9 million.
Assistant District Attorney Charlene Franks told Superior Court Judge Michael O’Foghludha that the FBI had assisted the Durham Police Department investigating a string of robberies in Durham and had Quick under surveillance at the time of his arrest on June 13.
The first robbery occurred on April 27 in which a man wearing a hoodie pulled down over his face entered the back door of The Dog House and robbed the employees, Franks said.
After that, there was a series of robberies in which the robber dressed the same as the first robber but he also wore a Green Goblin mask. In each of the robberies of small stores, the robber went to the back door and knocked to get in or went in when an employee was taking trash out the back door, she said.
He took the employees’ cellphones, asked where they lived, if they were married and if they had kids and then told them that if anyone reported the robbery, he would come back and harm their family members, Franks said.
Federal agents traced the cellphones that he stole, and Quick became a suspect. Law enforcement officers and agents began conducting surveillance on Quick and had him under surveillance on the night he attempted to rob Dollar Tree on Guess Road.
The officers and agents hoped to catch him before he went into the store, but they were unable to get set up quickly enough, and Quick actually went into the store, she said.
When Quick saw law enforcement, he ran and they had to tackle him to stop him, Frank said. They found his weapon and a Green Goblin mask, Franks said.
“Supposedly he confessed and said someone made him do it,” she said.
Franks told the judge that federal officials are intending to take the cases to federal court and are looking at additional financial charges against Quick, she said.
“I have been told that U.S. Attorney Ripley Rand will be taking it,” Franks said.
In fact, the federal grand jury already indicted Quick on Aug. 27 and issued a warrant for his arrest; however, Quick has remained in state custody since he was indicted.
Upon hearing that federal authorities planned to take the cases, the judge denied Quick’s request to reduce his bond.
Copyright 2012 The Durham Herald Co.
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