Suspects arrested in $100K multi-county robberies, police say

THOMAS COUNTY, Ga. (WCTV) - 22-year-old Tamoris Hammock, 23-year-old Montavios Morris and 17-year-old Jacoby Hammock were all arrested on June 16.

Investigators with the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office (TCSO) now believe the two older brothers carried out sixteen armed robberies and two burglaries.

The younger brother, Jacoby, acted as a getaway driver for at least two of those thefts spanning across several counties in South Georgia.

Their arrests came as a relief for one business owner, and victim of the robbers.

“There were two times we were robbed in different locations, and at the time we didn’t know who did it, and we were scared,” said Bharat Patel, also known as JoJo.

Patel owns the Aden’s Market in Meigs that was robbed in December 2021. Surveillance video shows the moment two of the brothers entered the store forcing Patel and another employee to the ground. The same incident happened just a month later at Patel’s other store.

Although he says it’s been a scary few months, he says it’s a relief to finally have someone behind bars for the crime.

“Oh, I feel very safe, and thank you to the Thomas County Sheriff’s Office, they did a good job,” he said.

Now, just weeks after their arrest, officials believe the suspects’ crimes didn’t start or end there.

“We were able to link two of the brothers to armed robberies dating back to November of last year,” TCSO’s Captain Tim Watkins said. “We believe they’ve done a total of 16 armed robberies and two burglaries.”

According to the sheriff’s office, those robberies and two burglaries took place across seven counties. Deputies say the brothers sometimes even hit more than one place in a single night.

“A clerk leaving the store when they attempted to rob a store, as they approached, he fired a shot at them. They left, then they went down the road approximately five miles and they committed another store robbery,” said Capt. Watkins.

Officials say they still do not have a total amount for how much the bandits collected over their 8-month crime spree. However, Capt. Watkins said he’s sure they racked up over $100,000.

JoJo says while he feels safe with the suspects now behind bars, he thinks parents should talk with their children about not turning to a life of crime.

Since the robberies crossed so many county lines, Capt. Watkins said the brothers could be facing mandatory sentences of 10 to 15 years, or even life for their crimes. He said now they’re waiting to learn if the brothers will be prosecuted locally or federally.