Armed Robbery Among Charges Filed Against Two Detroit Police Officers

Two Detroit police officers have been charged with numerous felony counts related to crimes which were allegedly committed between May of 2012 and March of this year according to a news report at Mlive.com. The two officers, Jeffrey Armstrong and Clifton Whatley, have been suspended from duty after an investigation led police to believe that the two were involved in a string of armed robberies in and around the Detroit area during the specified time period.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said that the prosecutor’s office would vigorously present their case in court, and that the law has been violated by two badged men who the public trusted to uphold it.

According to the news article, Clifton Whatley is charged with felony firearm, conducting a criminal enterprise, two counts of bank robbery, three counts of unlawful imprisonment, and three counts of armed robbery. Worthy contends that Whatley organized robberies across Wayne County in Canton, Harper Woods, Melvindale, Taylor, and Westland. He is accused of holding up several check-cashing stores in the suburbs surrounding Detroit, but not in the city itself. He has been an officer with the Detroit Police Department since 2000.

Jeffrey Armstrong is said to be a longtime friend of Whatley. Prosecutor’s claim that he robbed a Taylor Check and Go located in the 9100 block of Telegraph in May of 2012. He has been charged with felonious firearm possession, bank robbery, and armed robbery.

Whatley and Armstrong both have preliminary examinations scheduled for April 8; Armstrong will also be arraigned on that date. Whatley was arraigned on Thursday, March 28; he remains behind bars on a $1 million cash bond.

As Michigan armed robbery attorneys know, this offense is taken very seriously in Michigan – and the penalties are severe for those convicted. Committing a robbery while in possession of a dangerous weapon is a felony crime, punishable by possible life in prison according to Michigan Penal Code 750.529.

If you have been arrested for armed robbery, bank robbery, or any theft offense, it is critical that you seek the legal guidance and support of a skilled and aggressive Michigan criminal defense lawyer right away.