Armed robbery suspect nabbed in Florida Walmart shoplifting incident

Saturday, July 7, 2012
Timothy V. Giles

A 38-year-old former Greencastle man who managed to elude capture for three months in an armed robbery case, has been tripped up by an ill-advised shoplifting scam at a Florida Walmart store.

Timothy V. Giles, wanted in connection with a March 31 armed robbery at The Pawn Store, 22 E. Washington St., was arrested by police in Ormond Beach, Fla., earlier this week in a shoplifting incident.

Giles reportedly had picked up shorts and other clothing in the men's department and attempted to return them for cash or a gift card at the store's customer service counter without ever paying for the items.

After taking him into custody, Florida police ran a routine check on Giles and discovered he was wanted on a Putnam County warrant for the Greencastle armed robbery.

"We've been working in conjunction with the U.S. Marshal's Service trying to locate him on our warrant," Greencastle City Police Det. Randy Seipel told the Banner Graphic Friday.

GPD officials were aware that Giles had lived in Florida prior to coming up to Greencastle and believed he had returned to the area near Daytona after allegedly committing The Pawn Store robbery.

The suspect was extradited from Florida Tuesday and lodged in the Putnam County Jail before appearing in Putnam Superior Court Friday for an initial hearing.

Giles is charged with armed robbery, a Class B felony, and theft, a Class D felony, in the pawnshop incident that unfolded at approximately 10:23 a.m. March 31.

Wearing a blue hoodie, black Monster ballcap and ski mask, Giles reportedly entered the back door of the shop, brandishing a large kitchen knife, possibly a butcher knife.

The suspect reportedly ordered the clerk, the only employee in the store at the time, to the ground and made him crawl into the storeroom. The suspect then ran out the back door and took off east, escaping detection in the middle of a spring Saturday morning.

He made off with a "substantial sum" of cash in a metal cash box, Det. Seipel said.

"We canvassed the area but found nothing," the veteran GPD detective said, adding that nobody reported seeing anything strange in the area.

Giles was identified off the store's security video, Det. Seipel said, and actually had been in the establishment the day before the robbery to pawn a gold ring.

When he returned March 31, he was caught on video.

"A few minutes before the robbery he walked by the back door and the camera captured him," Seipel said, noting that the suspect actually stopped and looked up toward the camera.

Moments later a person entered the store wearing the same clothing but with his face covered. The clerk noted that it was the same man who had been in the shop the day before, saying that he recognized his voice and eyes.

Dets. Seipel and Michael Collins, both of whom are reportedly familiar with Giles, also identified him from the video as the perpetrator.

Giles pled not guilty Friday in Putnam Superior Court. He was ordered held without bond in a prior case (failure to appear on a misdemeanor count) and $30,000 cash bond in the armed robbery case.

Giles, whose address is now listed as homeless, was returned to the Putnam County Jail. No trial date was set.

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  • LOL HAHAHAHA!!! Finally He is going to get what he deserves for all the wrong he has ever done.. lock him away and throw away the key..

    -- Posted by gcastle_hater on Sat, Jul 7, 2012, at 1:39 AM
  • It's a shame !!! his poor family must be ashamed and embarressed for him....not. He did it to himself and now he has to do his time for doing the time..

    -- Posted by gcastle_hater on Sat, Jul 7, 2012, at 2:09 AM
  • Timothy Vern Giles you finally brought the worst shame to your family ... I can only imagine how your family feels.. next time wear a sticker with your name on it ...

    -- Posted by gcastle_hater on Sat, Jul 7, 2012, at 2:11 AM
  • This guy was always troubled, he was even like this in school, Hes such a mean man. Now whos the dork. I hope they give him wedgeys in prison for the ones he gave us. By tim, you wont be missed.

    -- Posted by etphonehome on Sun, Jul 8, 2012, at 11:14 AM
  • JUDGE NOT OR BE JUDGED FIRST. IM SURE YOU ALL HAVE SKELETONS IN YOUR CLOSET YOUR NOT PROUD OF, WHY DONT TOU AIR THOSE SO YOU CAN BE JUDGED SHAME ON YOU ALL!!!!!!!!!!!

    -- Posted by greencastle-survivor on Tue, Jul 10, 2012, at 7:59 AM
  • @ greencastle-survivor, your right we all do have skeletons in our closets but atleast we are smart enough to learn from our mistakes and better out lives and not bring shame to our families and think its all ok... And Tim has always been a mean evil person... and I WOULD KNOW!!! so yes I have the right to judge him he chose to make those dumb decisions and he chose to rob steal cheat lie and be a dumbass so Finally he will be brought to JUSTICE!! he not only robs innocent people but he has done it to family members and people who have tried to help him so yes I WILL JUDGE BECAUSE I PERSONALLY KNOW HOW HE HIS.... No I'm not perfect but i work for a living and raise my kids and teach them right from wrong... and he chose to flee from the law , do an armed robbery and flee again, go to a diferent state and do wrong there, so yes I WILL JUDGE..

    -- Posted by gcastle_hater on Tue, Jul 10, 2012, at 8:54 PM
  • Dont matter what you know or don't no you have no rite to judge anyone. Only one person has that rite and that's GOD and your not God. JUDGE NOT OR BE JUDGED FIRST, YOUR DAY WILL COME

    -- Posted by greencastle-survivor on Wed, Jul 11, 2012, at 4:20 PM
  • Do You not read the Bible? ?maybe you Should. You will be judged first!¡!!!!

    -- Posted by greencastle-survivor on Wed, Jul 11, 2012, at 5:29 PM
  • He"s such a dumb man. He is so dumb. Did I do good on my grammer donantonieolsabio.

    -- Posted by etphonehome on Mon, Jul 16, 2012, at 3:45 PM
  • You parents must have raised you just as "dumb" because obviously you have no respect for anyone and you judge people with no right.

    -- Posted by greencastle-survivor on Tue, Jul 17, 2012, at 7:51 PM
  • You are worried about grammar when no one really cares lol very petty and childish we all have better more important things to worry about.

    -- Posted by greencastle-survivor on Tue, Jul 17, 2012, at 8:16 PM
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