Marshals arrested final suspect in hardware store gun thefts

Published 10:15 pm Tuesday, June 6, 2017

A New York man wanted for allegedly stealing guns from a Dallas County hardware store last month and robbing a Perry County bank last year has been arrested by U.S. Marshals.

According to Perry County Sheriff Billy Jones, 28-year-old Stanley Young was arrested in New York, where he is from, and is being held there awaiting an extradition hearing.

Jones said Young was arrested Monday morning without incident.

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“He was in the house for about 10 minutes,” Jones said, describing what U.S. Marshals told him. “He acted like he didn’t want to come out, but then he finally came on out.”

Young is one of three men that allegedly robbed West Alabama Bank at gunpoint in Marion last September and burglarized Safford Hardware Store in early May, stealing around 50 guns.

Jabriel Keon Bell, 25, and Fortune Hoppins Jr., 35, were arrested last month by agents with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the U.S. Marshals.

All three men were arrested last year after the bank robbery, but Hoppins and Young, who were arrested in Connecticut by U.S. Marshals in November, were released from custody before they could be extradited to Alabama. Jones said they were released by mistake after they were given bond on gun charges they received in Connecticut.

The hardware store burglary happened after they were released.

Hoppins and Bell were in custody at the Perry County Jail, but Jones said they were taken to Mobile on federal charges related to the gun thefts from Safford Hardware Store.

Two of the three men were identified in the burglary case after being caught on camera. Surveillance footage showed two men breaking into the store, going through the gun display cases and stuffing around 50 of them into bags.

According to Jones, Young has an extradition hearing in New York scheduled for June 20.

“He is being held for us,” Jones said. “Connecticut has got a warrant on him, but he’s not being held for them. He’s being held for us. They said they’re not going to let Connecticut get him.”

Young will be extradited to either Perry County or to Mobile.

The trio faces first-degree robbery, first-degree conspiracy to commit robbery and first-degree kidnapping charges related to the bank robbery. Hoppins and Bell have been charged with third-degree burglary for the hardware store. Young’s charges are unknown at this time.

No information about their federal charges has been released.