INDIANAPOLIS — A man is facing 17 separate charges after allegedly trying to rob multiple Indianapolis spas.
According to an affidavit for probable cause filed Tuesday, 42-year-old Roy King allegedly robbed Angel, Sunshine and Rosemary spas between Sept. 5 and 26. Court documents indicate King stole money from all three businesses. He also reportedly took an employee’s iPhone at Rosemary Spa.
Angel and Sunshine spas were the first two businesses King robbed. Both spas were equipped with video surveillance systems, but King was wearing a mask and a baseball cap when he hit the businesses, making it initially difficult for police to identify him, according to court documents.
After reviewing Sunshine Spa’s video surveillance footage, police identified a vehicle of interest.
Court documents report King was seen entering the business from the north side of the parking lot, which is the same direction he fled in. Several seconds after he disappeared from the video frame, a white minivan appeared. The probable cause affidavit stated that police believed King could be seen driving the van.
Police later determined the van was likely a fifth-generation Chrysler Town and Country. Court documents show that the van’s license plate was covered by a white t-shirt or cloth.
Rosemary Spa — the third business King robbed — was not equipped with surveillance cameras. A neighboring business, however, did have some video surveillance footage related to the incident, according to court documents.
The footage showed a white Chrysler Town and Country in the area before the robbery of Rosemary Spa occurred. Police believe the van was the same one involved in the Sunshine Spa robbery, according to court documents.
Investigators then reviewed traffic camera footage near all three spas looking for a white Chrysler Town and Country. When examining video captured by cameras near Angel Spa, police located a white Chrysler Town and Country with a visible license plate, per the probable cause affidavit.
Police then located footage of the same van near Sunshine and Rosemary Spas on the dates the businesses were robbed. Investigators subsequently determined the vehicle belonged to King, according to court documents.
On Oct. 8, King appeared to try to rob N Spa. IMPD’s undercover robbery unit and the FBI’s safe street task force, however, were conducting surveillance of King’s van at the time. As they were watching the van, a man emerged and entered the business.
The probable cause affidavit indicates that, a few minutes after King entered the business, a woman ran out of the front door of the spa and began pulling on nearby businesses’ door handles.
King then departed from the spa and fled the scene in the van. Detectives followed the van after it left the spa. King then stopped near North Webster Avenue and East Lowell Street for a few minutes, according to the probable cause affidavit.
Court documents report IMPD SWAT then began to approach the van in unmarked vehicles. King fled the scene driving more the 90 mph. Officers did not engage in the chase due to safety concerns, per the probable cause affidavit.
King’s van was later located in the parking lot of Cold Spring School. Officers then observed King walking away from the van. Court documents state King was stopped by police and transported to the IMPD Robbery Office.
In an interview with police, King admitted to entering N Spa and inquiring about a massage. Earlier that day, investigators spoke with an N Spa employee who told them a man brandished a gun in the business and demanded money, according to the probable cause affidavit.
King denied having a gun in his interview with police, telling investigators he pulled a TV remote out of his pants, not a firearm. According to police records, King said he removed the license plate from his van before he tried to rob the spa. He added that he stopped after fleeing the scene because he needed to re-attach the plate to the van.
King also told police that he “figured” they were watching him because he observed several dark SUVs when he tried to rob N Spa. He added that he fled the scene because he thought police were watching him, per the probable cause affidavit.
King told police he parked in Cold Spring School’s lot because he ran out of gas. Court documents state that King admitted to throwing the keys to the van in a nearby grassy area before police found him.
As his interview with police continued, King admitted to robbing Angel, Sunshine and Rosemary spas. He detailed the incidents with police and initialed photos of him that were captured by surveillance cameras, per the probable cause affidavit.
Additionally, King told police he threw the clothing he wore during the first three robberies away. Police records indicate King also reported that he sold a 9mm handgun to “someone on the street.”
Before the investigation concluded, King admitted he was homeless and living in the van he used to pull off the robberies, according to court documents.
King is facing multiple Level 3 and 4 Felonies, including kidnapping with a deadly weapon, armed robbery, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon and criminal confinement while armed with a deadly weapon.
The maximum penalty for a Level 3 Felony in Indiana is 16 years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000. A jury trial for King’s case has been set for Jan. 22.
