Lang
1/4/21
Iowa City Police say two teens posted a photo to social media including the clothes they were wearing and a gun they used in an armed robbery they allegedly perpetrated earlier this month, leading to their arrests.
According to an ICPD news release, 16-year-old Laron Gadlen, Jr. and 17-year-old Tavarion Herron were taken into custody Monday after warrants were executed at 1103 Prairie du Chien Road and 941 Dewey Street. Herron lists his residence as the Dewey Street address, although his driver’s license is out of Illinois.
Police say Gadlen and Herron pointed a gun at a motorist using the drive-thru ATM at GreenState Credit Union on Mormon Trek Boulevard just before 11pm on December 21st. The victim was able to put their vehicle into drive and safely escape.
Investigators developed Gadlen and Harris as suspects after Gadlen posted photos on social media in which he was wearing the same clothing and holding a gun similar to the one described by the victim. When Herron was taken into custody, he was wearing the same NASA sweatshirt he allegedly wore during the robbery. The gun was recovered from one of the residences.
Police say for the safety of the public and the officers involved in the arrest, a civilian armored vehicle belonging to the Linn County Sheriff’s Office was used to serve one of the warrants.
Gadlen and Harris are each charged with 1st Degree Robbery, a Class B Felony punishable by a maximum of 25 years in prison.
Iowa City Police also arrested 27-year-old Andre Poole II at the Dewey Street address. Poole is a registered sex offender with a previous conviction for Lascivious Acts With a Child, and investigators say several unrelated minors were at the residence. He’s charged with violating the Iowa Sex Offender Registry.