Case closed on family that robbed Richland Rite Aid store
Two brothers and the wife of one must repay nearly $7,000 to the Richland Rite Aid after admitting they robbed the store.
James E. Wright, the actual robber, was the last to plead guilty for the Dec. 22 holdup.
Like his younger brother and sister-in-law, his charges were reduced as part of the plea agreement because of a "potential weakness" in the prosecution's case involving the initial search warrant.
Anthony D. Wright and his then-girlfriend, Tonya M. Crowell, planned the robbery and passed on information the day of the incident so James Wright knew where to go and what to do inside the Lee Boulevard store.
Crowell at the time was the store manager.
She married Anthony Wright four days later, but failed to mention her relationship to police during the investigation. They live in Richland.
Deputy Prosecutor Julie Long wrote in court documents that both law enforcement and the victim, a Rite Aid cashier, were consulted about the proposed amended charges and sentences in all three cases and did not object.
James Wright, 48, was sentenced recently in Benton County Superior Court to 2 1/2 years in prison for second-degree robbery and second-degree unlawful possession of a firearm.
The standard range was one year and one month to one year and five months.
The Pasco man received an exceptional sentence because the crime "involved a high degree of sophistication or planning as he was working together with two others, including an employee of the store which was burglarized, which resulted in the garnering of information not readily available to the general public," Long wrote.
Long also noted that James Wright played a significant role since he's the person who actually brandished the gun at the cashier.
His criminal history includes a 1990 conviction for second-degree burglary and a 1993 conviction for a gun possession.
Tonya (Crowell) Wright, 46, had no criminal record when she pleaded guilty earlier this month to second-degree robbery. She was sentenced to nine months in county jail.
Her husband, Anthony Wright, has a lengthy history out of Benton, Franklin, Spokane and Pierce counties for possessing stolen property, telephone harassment, felony harassment, burglary and possessing drugs with the intent to manufacture or deliver.
He also has 43 prior misdemeanor and gross misdemeanor cases, a prosecutor said at an earlier hearing.
The burglary was for a 2002 heist of a Kennewick Payday Loans store, in which Anthony Wright and the manager stole nearly $22,000 from the safe. Like the Rite Aid robbery, he was romantically involved with the store manager in that crime.
Anthony Wright, 47, was sentenced to five years and five months in prison for second-degree robbery and second-degree unlawful gun possession.
He could have received up to seven years for the crime based on his applicable history.
James Wright entered the store wearing all black, gloves and a face mask, and ordered a cashier to open his register at gunpoint.
When the employee had difficulty, Tonya stepped in and opened the store safe to retrieve cash and bank coin rolls for the robber. The male cashier in the meantime was able to get his register open, and added that money to the robber's duffel bag.
Tonya then told the robber he had enough money, and he left.
It wasn't until later in the investigation that detectives received information linking the store manager to the crime.
Security cameras reportedly weren't operating in the store during the robbery because of recent construction. However, police found traffic camera video and cellphone records that show Tonya and Anthony Wright communicated in the minutes before as James Wright waited nearby, according to court documents.
The married couple each pocketed $1,500, and James Wright got $3,000 for going into the store with the gun, documents said.
Now, they owe $6,895 to the store in restitution.
This story was originally published April 28, 2018 at 2:14 PM with the headline "Case closed on family that robbed Richland Rite Aid store."