SCRANTON -- Charges have been filed against four men following an armed robbery at a hotel in Scranton overnight into Saturday.
Rodney Whiting, from the Scranton area, along with Tracy Whiting, Kelvin Robinson and Kwa'shon Roane, all from Virginia, face robbery charges after they allegedly held up the Econo Lodge on Kane Street shortly before 1 a.m. Saturday. They took off shortly after.
Police found Rodney Whiting at his apartment in the Valley View area. The other three were taken into custody in the Taylor area.
In fact, officers say mother nature helped out when they noticed footprints in the snow and found one of the suspects behind a dumpster.
During the pursuit, an officer shot one of the suspects who was hurt. He is expected to be okay.
According to investigators, Robinson came up with the idea to rob a hotel because he needed money.
With the weather as cold as it is, many people in the area were left wondering what were these men thinking?
"They're nuts," said Megan Bartuska of Avoca. "It's absolutely freezing. It's absolutely bitter out here."
"I don't think it even has anything to do with the cold, I think their first mistake was robbing the hotel," exclaimed Sharon Bartalotta of Scranton.
The Lackawanna County District Attorney's office is investigating not only the robbery but the Taylor police officer who shot the suspect.
That officer is on administrative leave as that investigation continues.
