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Two locals arrested in Sparta pharmacy heist
Ashford, Stanley captured in Warren County
rob capture w L
Warren County deputies lead Ricky Ashford out of the woods in handcuffs after he was captured in McMinnville Wednesday morning. Ashford and Christopher Stanley are accused of robbing a Sparta pharmacy at gunpoint, and then leading police on a chase across two counties.
Two Smithville men were taken into custody by the Warren County Sheriff’s Department last week after allegedly robbing Sparta Discount Drugs at gunpoint and fleeing into Warren County.Christopher Morris Stanley 34, and Ricky Allen Ashford II, 33, were arrested after leading police on a chase which began on Sparta Highway in Warren County and concluded on Shady Rest Road just outside the McMinnville city limits, where the men tried to flee the scene on foot.Both men face charges of aggravated robbery, theft of property over $1,000 and Vandalism over $100 in White County.Charges are also pending in Warren County.Sparta Police Chief Jeff Guth told the Review Monday that both men were transported back to White County, where Stanley faces a $100,000 bond and Ashford was placed under a $200,000 bond because of his lengthy criminal record.Guth said Sparta officers were dispatched to the holdup at 9:12 a.m on April 4.Officers reported that clerks at the business told them that two men had robbed the store, allegedly taking a large quantity of narcotics and an undisclosed amount of cash.The men were described as dressed in dark colors with long sleeves, gloves and ski masks.One suspect brandished a handgun, and the other had what appeared to employees to be a Taser.The men reportedly left the scene in a black Chevrolet Impala and fled north on Spring Street. Warren County deputies reportedly located the vehicle and began pursuit, lost contact for a brief period, found the vehicle again, and arrested one of the suspects shortly after both men tried to flee the scene on foot.The second suspect was taken into custody after officers used a dog to track the man to his hiding place. Money, drugs and a handgun were reportedly found on the suspects at the time of their arrests.