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Case against Comcast robbery suspects moves through courts

PRINCE GEORGE – The case against two suspects charged in connection with a summer 2018 robbery at the now-closed Comcast service center continues to move through local courts following their most recent court date last month.

According to court records, 33-year-old Lynette Morse of Prince George and 36-year-old Ricky Taylor of Hopewell were scheduled to go on trial in late August for their alleged role in the Sept. 1, 2018 armed robbery of the Comcast service center along East Whitehill Road near the county line. During the crime, authorities said the suspects used their firearms to force employees back inside the business, ordering them to open a safe inside before fleeing with an undisclosed amount of cash.

No one was injured in the pre-Labor Day robbery and, since the 2018 robbery, Comcast has closed the service center, which had been open for a decade along East Whitehill Road.

After an almost year-long investigation, Prince George Police announced in the spring of this year that both Morse and Taylor had been named as suspects and charged with two counts of armed robbery, four counts of using a firearm while committing a felony, abduction, conspiracy, along with a charge of wearing a mask. Taylor also received an additional charge of using a firearm in commission of a felony.

When local authorities named the pair as suspects in the 2018 robbery, they were behind bars in Henrico for an unrelated offense. In May, court records showed charges levied against the duo in the county were dismissed, with their trial dates in Prince George being set for August 22.

For Morse, she is expected to return to court on September 26 for her trial after, according to Prince George Commonwealth’s Attorney Susan Fierro confirmed, a judge granted her attorney’s request for a continuance, citing plans for additional pre-trial motions to be heard by the court.

In regards to Taylor’s case, the county prosecutor said the Commonwealth moved to “nolle prosequi,” or dismiss all of the charges against the Hopewell native, which was granted by the circuit court. He was then subsequently re-arrested on warrants pertaining to the allegations, with his preliminary hearing on the charges set for October 10 in Prince George General District Court.

When asked about this particular development in the case, Fierro declined to comment due to ongoing prosecution.

According to court records, he remains charged with two counts of robbery and four felony firearms charges, along with six counts of conspiracy, wearing a mask, grand larceny, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.