Bill Oliver Chavez, Robbery, Kansas 2018

A Topeka man has been indicted in federal court on a charge of robbing a Walgreens store. Bill Oliver Chavez, 42, is charged with one count of robbing a commercial business.

The indictment alleges that on September 13, 2018, Chavez robbed a Walgreens store at 3696 S.W. Topeka Blvd. Documents filed in court claim that Chavez lifted his shirt and showed the cashier what appeared to be the butt of a gun. The cashier emptied the register and the robber left the store with the money.

Surveillance video showed the robber was driving a four-door Nissan Maxima with a sunroof. An investigator used data from a license plate reader to help narrow the search for cars of the type in the video and owners who fit the description of the robber.

If convicted, Chavez faces a penalty of up to 20 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The Topeka Police Department and the FBI investigated. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.

Chavez is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. The indictment merely contains allegations of criminal conduct.

The case is just one of several recent indictments in the Kansas district. Lamar Ray Steele, 28, is charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction. John Wesley Towner, Jr., 30, is also charged with one count of unlawful possession of a firearm following a felony conviction.

In both cases, the defendants face up to 10 years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000. The FBI investigated both cases, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jared Maag is prosecuting.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ks/pr/license-plate-reader-helped-identify-robbery-suspect