Donavon D. Jackson and Nathaniel A. Greenlee sat in Greenlee's gray 2011 Hyundai Sonata on Arkansas Avenue in Atlantic City in the early hours of July 21.
A few blocks away from the two Delaware men, two armed cohorts were robbing Caesars Atlantic City casino.
After grabbing two plastic boxes containing more than $180,000 in cash, New Jersey State Police said Izyiah Plummer, 19, of Atlantic City, and Aaron Evans, 24, of Pleasantville, ran out of the iconic casino, went down the street and into Greenlee's car, which then sped off.
Plummer had been a Caesars' security guard and used his knowledge of how and when the casino moved large amounts of money to plan the robbery, authorities said. He'd recently been fired from the casino, but investigators did not say why.
The multi-agency manhunt also led investigators to Bear where, police said, a Delaware State Trooper was shot 16 days later by Greenlee's father.
In a press conference Thursday, New Jersey State Police detailed the July heist and the capture of eight people charged in the crime.
"The near month-long investigation was led by the New Jersey State Police Casino Gaming Bureau, with assistance from the Delaware State Police, Pennsylvania State Police, Pleasantville and Atlantic City police departments, and with legal support from the New Jersey Division of Criminal Justice," New Jersey State Police Trooper I Jeff Flynn said Thursday.
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Also charged in connection with the crime are 20-year-olds Dwayne Morgan II and Monique Kelly, both of Pleasantville, and Lance Rogers, 20 and Myles Coleman, 23, both of Atlantic City.
According to Kerry Langan, New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement spokeswoman, Plummer, Morgan and Kelly had been employed by different Atlantic City casinos.
Morgan was a convention service attendant at Tropicana Casino & Resort, Kelly was a cashier at Harrah's Resort Atlantic City and Plummer had been a security guard at Caesars.
Plummer had been terminated from Caesars about two weeks before the heist. Langman said the other two lost their jobs when the division suspended their casino registrant licenses, which allows people to work in the establishments.
"Greenlee and Jackson did not have casino licenses," Langan said.
New Jersey police have not said how Jackson, 20, of Wilmington's Browntown neighborhood, and Greenlee, 21, of Red Lion Chase in Bear, were related to their New Jersey co-defendants.
Nathaniel Greenlee (Photo: New Jersey State Police )
"That's currently part of the investigation, their association with each other," Flynn said.
What is known, according to New Jersey police, is that Plummer and Evans entered Caesars about 6:20 a.m. on July 21 and robbed workers at gunpoint during a routine money exchange. Plummer brandished a handgun before leaving the Boardwalk establishment with the two boxes of cash.
After fleeing Caesars, Plummer and Evans got into Greenlee's waiting Sonata, where the Delaware man drove off, police said. Jackson, a passenger, also was with them.
A day after the robbery, detectives arrested Plummer, along with Kelly and Morgan at Plummer's Atlantic City home, police said. Investigators seized a large amount of stolen currency, .38-caliber rounds and clothing worn by the suspects during the crime.
Two days after the robbery, Rogers and Evans were arrested by police at their homes. Rogers received stolen money from Plummer, according to investigators. Detectives obtained a search warrant for Evans' residence and seized more stolen cash and various items linking him to the robbery.
Donavon Jackson (Photo: Submitted )
The investigation lead to Greenlee's 1000 block of Powell Court home on Aug. 6.
That's when New Jersey's Casino Gaming Bureau, along with the Delaware State Police, executed a search warrant at Greenlee's two-story cul-de-sac home. As Delaware State Troopers were entering the front door, Greenlee's father, 50-year-old John Greenlee, shot state police Master Cpl. Thad Boyce in the back twice.
Boyce sustained abrasions on his shoulder and neck, but otherwise was mostly shielded from injury thanks to his protective vest. He was treated and released from Christiana Hospital on the day of the shooting.
The elder Greenlee has been charged with second-degree assault, a weapons offense and seven counts of reckless endangering. He is out on bail. Greenlee's mother, Kim, was interviewed by police, but not charged, Delaware State Police Sgt. Paul Shavack said.
A state trooper stands near a broken door on Powell Court earlier this month after a trooper was shot at the residence earlier in the day.(Photo: John J. Jankowski Jr./Special to The News Journal)
The younger Greenlee was not found in the house, but detectives learned he was working at a Concord Township, Pennsylvania, retail store. Pennsylvania State Police responded to the store and found Greenlee's Sonata nearby, investigators said.
Greenlee was arrested in the store without incident.
Two days later, Jackson was arrested at his house in the 1200 block of Anchorage St., in Wilmington by New Jersey detectives and Delaware State Police.
"He was taken into custody late last Friday morning coming out of his residence," Shavack said.
Jackson's house was then searched, Flynn said.
"The search of the house resulted in the seizure of cash believed to be a part of the stolen currency and property purchased with proceeds from the crime," he added.
On Wednesday, Coleman surrendered to New Jersey detectives at the Casino Operations Unit office in Atlantic City. According to detectives, Evans, Greenlee, and Jackson went to Coleman's house immediately after the robbery.
Coleman was wanted for obstruction and receiving stolen property.
"Detectives from the Casino Gaming Bureau are continuing to actively investigate this robbery," Flynn said. "The case will be prosecuted by the Division of Criminal Justice within the Office of the Attorney General."
Greenlee, Jackson, Plummer, Morgan and Evans are charged with robbery, aggravated assault, possession of a weapon, unlawful possession of a weapon.
Caesars Atlantic City in 2013(Photo: AP)
All but Greenlee were being held at Atlantic County Justice Facility in lieu of $150,000 cash bail Thursday. Greenlee remained at George W. Hill Correctional Facility in Thonton, Pennsylvania, Thursday, but he waived his right to extradition at a Wednesday hearing.
Kelly, Rogers, and Coleman have been charged with receiving stolen property and were released with a court date.
Contact Esteban Parra at (302) 324-2299, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Twitter @eparra3.
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