Chased, Cornered, and Caught: Alleged Armed Robbers Sniffed Out by Stafford K-9 Titan

On December 1st, Stafford deputies pursued and apprehended two suspects connected to an armed robbery in Fredericksburg. A red pickup truck, identified in a BOLO alert, was spotted by Deputy D.S. Jett. The driver refused to stop, leading to a chase through multiple roads until the truck was cornered in a residential area. The driver, Jermaine Koonce, 32, was detained after deputies deployed pepper balls. He admitted to driving under the influence and resisting arrest to smoke a cigarette.

The passenger, Dion Parker, 24, fled on foot but was tracked by K-9 Titan and located using a drone. He was apprehended in nearby woods. Both suspects were confirmed as those suspected to be involved in the robbery. Koonce faces multiple charges, including felony eluding and DUI, while Parker is charged with eluding, property destruction, and public intoxication. Additional robbery charges will be filed in Fredericksburg. Both are held without bond.

Stafford County Sheriff: 

On December 1st, at approximately 8:08 p.m., Stafford deputies received a be on the lookout report. It was advised an armed robbery just occurred in the City of Fredericksburg and the suspects fled in a red pickup truck. Less than a minute after the BOLO, Deputy D.S. Jett, who was traveling on Morton Road in the area of Forbes Street, observed a red pickup truck coming towards him as it was failing to maintain the lane of travel. Due to the traffic lane violation and potentially being connected to an armed robbery, Deputy Jett turned around and attempted to conduct a traffic stop. When the truck did not stop, a pursuit was initiated.

The truck would accelerate as it fled on Primmer House Road, Riggs Road, and eventually Birney Court with Deputy Jett closely behind. As the truck entered onto Birney Court it slowed to a stop. Deputy Jett gave commands to both the driver and the passenger. Instead of complying, the passenger fled on foot as the driver threw his vehicle into reverse and accelerated away. Deputy Jett pursued the truck as it fled again with the help of Deputy I.E. Baldi. Nearby units were informed of the passenger fleeing on foot.

Deputy Jett and Deputy Baldi followed the fleeing vehicle as it entered the cul-de-sac of Orange Blossom Court. The fleeing vehicle would jump the curb and drove in-between two residences where its journey ended. Deputies blocked any further fleeing attempts and gave the driver commands to exit the vehicle. When he refused, Sergeant J.T. Forman deployed pepper balls into the vehicle, which had the intended effect. The driver exited the vehicle and was detained. The driver spontaneously admitted to driving under the influence and advised he didn’t want to stop because he “wanted to smoke my cigarette before I went to jail.”

As the driver was detained, additional deputies established a perimeter around the area the passenger fled from. Sergeant B.U. Demirci deployed his K-9 partner, Titan, where the passenger was last seen. Titan displayed strong tracking behaviors all the way to nearby railroad tracks. Throughout the track, deputies located items belonging to the passenger and damages to residential fences during the passengers fleeing attempt.

As Sergeant Demirci conducted his ground search, Detective W.J. McWaters conducted his aerial search using the drone. With it, he was able to locate the suspect hiding in the woods behind the 200 block of Anderson Drive. With Detective McWaters guiding them from the sky, Sergeant Demirci was able to deploy K-9 Titan, where he completed an apprehension. The passenger was detained shortly after the K-9 apprehension.

The Fredericksburg Police Department was able to confirm both detained suspects were the suspects in the armed robbery in their jurisdiction. The driver, Jermaine Koonce, 32, of Callao, was charged with felony eluding, third offense driving under the influence within ten years, revocation of his license after multiple DUI convictions, two counts of reckless driving, driving while revoked, two counts of refusal, and failure to maintain the lane of travel. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. Additional charges related to the robbery will be handled by the City of Fredericksburg. The passenger, Dion Parker, 24, of Burgess, was treated for his K-9 bite and charged with eluding, destruction of property, and public intoxication. He was held at Rappahannock Regional Jail without bond. Additional charges related to the robbery will be handled by the City of Fredericksburg.