PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) – Prosecutors have filed a 31-page count indictment against two men alleging more than 140 counts of robbery.
KOIN 6 News reported the arrests of Deron A. Crain and Johntae D. Hammond earlier this week after police executed several search warrants in connection with the case.
Prosecutors allege the two are responsible for at least 14 robberies that occurred in the metro between June 3 and August 18.
In each robbery, according to police, the two suspects used weapons to demand money and property from victims who were inside taverns. Most of the robberies occurred after midnight and shortly before or after closing time.
No one was ever seriously hurt in any of the robberies but prosecutors have charged Crain with multiple counts of assault for pistol whipping several people during the robberies. Several of the victims were extremely shaken up.
During one robbery, the two suspects are said to have forced three people into a freezer and locked the door. The people inside were able to eventually escape.
More than 40 people testified before the grand jury.
This week, a Multnomah County grand jury handed up the indictment against Crain and Hammond. Hammond remains in the Clark County Jail in Vancouver. Crain is being held in the Multnomah County Inverness Jail in Northeast Portland.
Crain appeared in court on Tuesday and was arraigned on the allegations. A not guilty plea was entered on his behalf. He is due back in court next month. A court date for Hammond has not been set because he remains awaiting extradition from Washington.