Hourly Update

Police arrest several people in clown robbery cases

Three women and one man were arrested Wednesday in connection with a recent string of robberies committed by a duo dubbed the "clown robbers," officials announced Thursday. Some or all of the suspects - Michael Charles Lipscomb, 20; sisters Keianna Shanneal Jamison, 18, and LaCarol Renee Jamison, 20; and Meika Marie Johnson, 32, - are believed to have been involved in at least four armed robberies and one attempted armed robbery with the latest occurring Wednesday and the earliest happening July 24. In three of the five incidents, the robbers hit check-cashing businesses disguised as clowns - wearing white face paint with black paint around their eyes and rouge on their cheeks, along with clown wigs, red clown noses and large polka dot bow ties. Those businesses were: ∫ Wednesday: Ace Cash Advance, 3955 E. Speedway ∫ Aug. 16: Payday Loans at Loan Mart, in the 5000 block of North La Cañada Drive ∫ Aug. 10: Check ’N Go, 4485 N. First Ave. Other incidents police have tied the suspects to include the Aug. 8 attempted robbery of Loan Mart-Payday Loans, 3901 E. Grant Road and the July 24 robbery of Whataburger, 6504 East 22nd St. Tucson Police and the Pima County Sheriff’s Department worked together to connect the incidents and locate the suspects, who were booked into the Pima County jail on several charges including aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, armed robbery, kidnapping and burglary. The arrests were made after police located the getaway car used in the first four incidents. The car, which belonged to LaCarol Jamison, had been impounded after an unrelated traffic stop Aug. 16, but officials did not realize it was connected to the cases at that time. When the connection was made, police searched the car where they found weapons, the clown costumes and fibers from the clown wigs.