SMITHFIELD, Va. (WAVY) — A multi-state armed robbery spree on the Eastern Shore has ties elsewhere in the region. Police in Smithfield say one of the suspects admitted to committing crimes there too.
The two suspects were caught in Accomack County in December following a high speed chase.
Earlier this month, Smithfield detectives linked the suspects to another robbery there and in Surry County. One of the suspects even confessed to the robbery in Smithfield on camera, police say.
Detectives traveled to the Eastern Shore Regional Jail to interview 31-year-old Brandon Gibson.
He identified himself as the person walking into the 7-Eleven on Benns Church Boulevard in Smithfield before it was robbed.
Gibson and 28-year-old Christopher Orbeta of Chesapeake were arrested on the Eastern Shore on December 7, five days after that robbery in Smithfield.
“He demanded money, saying that nobody would get hurt,” said Smithfield Police Lt. William Wooley. “He then went behind the counter, stole money, tobacco products and lottery tickets before fleeing on foot.”
A few days after the robbery in Smithfield, a 7-Eleven in Surry was robbed and they believed the two crimes could be related. That’s when Smithfield investigators started working with Surry County deputies to identify a suspect.
“In their incident, they had some cell phones that were stolen, and we were able to do some search warrants through that that led us to Brandon Gibson being a suspect in our robbery,” Lt. Wooley said.
Detectives say video from a Norfolk 7-Eleven then showed Orbeta walking in with one of the lottery tickets that Gibson stole in Smithfield.
“That’s going to be our stolen lottery ticket there,” Lt. Wooley said.
These crimes both happened less than a week before Orbeta and Gibson were taken into custody following a high-speed chase on the Eastern Shore.
Investigators say five robberies were reported in the same day on December 7 between 4:35 a.m. and 8:40 a.m. in Northampton, Worcester and Accomack counties.
Lt. Wooley says they want to assure the community they’re working tirelessly to keep citizens safe.
“Whether it’s people who come from outside Smithfield or within Smithfield, where we look to protect the community and uphold justice,” Lt. Wooley said.
Gibson and Orbeta are both being held in the Eastern Shore Regional Jail as they await their day in court.
They’re facing charges of armed robbery and eluding out of Accomack County. That’s in addition to the robbery charges they’re facing in Smithfield and other counties, too.
