A 23-year-old Waukesha man is accused of robbing GameStop just before Christmas and attempting to rob a Waukesha George Webb restaurant on New Year’s Eve.
Billy P. Hodges was charged in Waukesha County Circuit Court on Wednesday with one count of armed robbery and one count of attempted armed robbery. If convicted, he faces up to 50 years in prison and $200,000 in fines.
According to the criminal complaint:
At 8:34 p.m. Dec. 21, the manager at GameStop was in the store when a masked man walked into the store and demanded money from the cash register. The manager first thought the man was joking, but he pulled out a gun, so the manager got $144 in cash out of the register and gave it to the gunman, who fled.
At 7:23 p.m. Monday, a Waukesha police officer was travelling southbound in the 1100 block of Delafield Street, when he saw Hodges in front of the large window at George Webb looking inside. He noticed the clothes Hodges had on looked similar to those the GameStop robber was wearing, so he did a U-turn and went back to the restaurant.
Hodges began walking away briskly as the officer came back, but the officer followed him for and asked him to talk. When asked if he was armed, Hodges said he had a BB gun with him, which also looked like the gun used in the Game Stop robbery.
Hodges admitted to officers he robbed the GameStop and had been dropped off near the George Webb by his girlfriend after he said he was going to pick them up some heroin. However, Hodges said he was working up the courage to rob the Webb’s when the officer drove by, so he stopped.
Hodges is currently being held in Waukesha County Jail on $25,000 bond while awaiting trial.
