St. Albans , Kanawha County , West Virginia

A man who was arrested for holding up two video lottery parlors at gunpoint has been charged in another robbery.

St. Albans police charged Justin Brafford with grand larceny Wednesday.

Police said he robbed Lewie's Gaming Parlor on U.S. Route 60 on Friday, and said he was the man caught on surveillance camera.

Brafford is also accused of robbing Kelley's Kafe in Jefferson and Texas Jim's video lottery parlor in Teays Valley on Sunday. He was arrested at the Nitro Walmart.

Brafford has also been charged with three counts of grand larceny in Cabell County for stealing band equipment from a trailer belonging to Lincoln County High School while it was parked at a Huntington hotel.

Detectives also accuse Brafford of stealing tools from construction trucks parked at hotels.

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A Hurricane man has been charged in a string of crimes including the robbery of three gaming parlors and several thefts.

St. Albans police have charged Justin Brafford, 31, with grand larceny. They say he robbed Lewie's Gaming Parlor on Route 60 last Friday. Police said he was caught on camera and got away with $1,300.

Brafford also is accused of robbing Kelley's Kafe in Jefferson and Texas Jim's video lottery parlor in Teays Valley overnight Sunday. He allegedly held up clerks in both of those businesses at gunpoint and got away with several thousands of dollars. He was finally arrested at the Nitro Walmart.

Brafford is charged for thefts out of Cabell County. He is charged with three counts of grand larceny and one count of petit larceny.

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A Hurricane man who has been eluding police in connection with several thefts has been caught in Kanawha County.

Justin Brafford, 31, of Hurricane is charged with three counts of grand larceny and petit larceny on Monday.

Detectives were searching for Brafford in February after reports of tools allegedly being taken from construction trucks parked at hotels, and then being pawned, according to a criminal complaint at the Cabell Magistrate Court. Investigators believe Brafford is responsible for the theft of Lincoln High School band equipment valued at $21,400 that was inside a trailer parked at a Huntington hotel, the complaint said.

Brafford is being held at the Central Regional Jail. Brafford's bond is set at $60,000 for charges in Kanawha County and $50,000 for charges in Cabell County.

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A woman remains on the run after robbing a video lottery parlor clerk at gunpoint, in what was a rash of robberies overnight Sunday. Three video lottery parlors in Kanawha and Putnam counties were robbed in a matter of hours, one man has been charged with two of the crimes, but the third, remains unsolved.

Ivy's video lottery parlor on West Washington Street between Cross Lanes and Dunbar was robbed about 9:30 p.m. Sunday. Police said a woman went in and played a game on one of the machines for about 15 minutes, then went to the bathroom and came out with a gun. She told the clerk to get out of her way and she unloaded the register, taking off with a couple hundred dollars in a gray colored newer Toyota Corolla with Ohio tags.

The clerk said she's worked in gambling parlors for 12 years and has never been robbed and was shocked that she was held up by a woman, saying she was friendly when she came in and was playing the game. Melody Roupe said she understands the dangers of the jobs and didn't try to fight back.

"No amount of money is worth my children losing their mother or me losing my life, absolutely not," Roupe said.

That robbery was the first of three. Justin Lee Brafford was charged in the other two robberies.

Sheriff's deputies say he went into Kelley's Kafe on MacCorkle Avenue in Jefferson, a little after midnight, robbed the clerk at gunpoint then ordered her into the bathroom. That's when police said he unlocked the gaming machines to take the cash from inside of them.

West Virginia State Police said Brafford then held up another video lottery parlor called Texas Jim on Route 34 in Teays Valley. Police said he put a gun in the clerk's back, demanding money and then forced her to lock herself in the bathroom.

After hearing a description of the robbery suspect, officers at the Nitro Walmart spotted Brafford. He was then arrested inside the store and charged. Deputies say thousands of dollars in cash and a gun were found in his car they also say he later confessed to the crime.

The woman who robbed Ivy's remains on the run. If you have any information that could help police, give them a call.

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The Cabell County Sheriff's Office needs your help. Justin Brafford, 32, of Hurricane is wanted for allegedly stealing more than $30,000 worth of tools and other materials. Deputies said Brafford broke into several trucks parked at hotels in the Huntington area.

Sgt. Mike Wentz said Brafford is "actively running from police," and there are U.S. marshals and deputies looking for the suspect.

Detectives say Brafford targeted vehicles carrying equipment, in particular trucks with tool boxes attached to the truck bed. But detectives said Brafford's crime spree last month wasn't the first time he head a run-in with the law. Deputies said Brafford's criminal rap sheet includes drug trafficking in Tennessee, grand larceny, fleeing, obstructing and was caught back in August in Cabell County for allegedly stealing a generator. Brafford's case was bound over to a grand jury.

Brafford is 6 feet tall, has a buzzed haircut and weighs 225 pounds. Authorities said many of the items stolen were found at local pawn shops and also at his residence in Hurricane.

Wentz warns owners who transport expensive tools to use common sense and not make them easy targets for thieves.

"A lot of times you have contractors who come in town with tools. They need to keep everything secure and locked up. Sometimes the thieves will take the whole tool box," he said.

Anyone with information that can help the Cabell County Sheriff's Office find Justin Brafford, should call 911.

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