Two suspects are in custody after a theft at Tractor Supply Co. in Waynesboro where one man pepper-sprayed an employee who tried to stop him.
Joshua Lee Talley, 37, of Staunton, and Andrew Clay Ottinger, 37, of Waynesboro, are being held without bond at Middle River Regional Jail.
The reported theft occurred on Monday at the 301 Lew Dewitt Blvd. location, according to the Waynesboro Police Department.
Talley allegedly bypassed the registers with a cart full of merchandise, according to police. When confronted in the parking lot by a store employee, Talley allegedly pepper-sprayed the employee in the face, causing injury, before fleeing the scene in a gray Chevrolet Impala, reportedly driven by Ottinger.
On Tuesday, Waynesboro Police officers went to a residence in the 500 block of Bluff Avenue in an attempt to locate Talley and Ottinger on the outstanding warrants related to the robbery and assault.
Ottinger was arrested without incident.
Officers searched the residence and found Talley hiding inside. He resisted arrest and engaged in a physical altercation with the officers.
Criminal charges, past and present
Joshua Talley has been charged with:
- 18.2-57C- (F): Assault and battery- police officer or firefighter
- 18.2-460B- (M): Obstructing justice by force
- 18.2-312- (F): Illegal use of gases
- 18.2-58- (F): Robbery
According to online court records, Talley has faced previous charges including shoplifting, destruction of property and public intoxication.
Andrew Ottinger has been charged with:
- 18.2-18/ §18.2-58- (F) Accessory to robbery
According to online court records, Ottinger was sentenced to 10 years in prison related to a child abuse charge after he was found guilty of repeatedly beating and injuring the 1-year-old daughter of his girlfriend in 2014.
Ottinger was also a suspect in a 2010 homicide of a Churchville man, but the charge was later dropped due to a lack of evidence, and he was found guilty of concealing a dead body. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison in that case.
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Crystal Graham
