CLEVELAND — A former employee at a Marc's supermarket in Euclid was arrested alongside her romantic partner on Thursday after a Cuyahoga County grand jury indicted the couple on charges that they schemed to steal more than $147,000 from the store last year, Prosecutor Michael O'Malley's office said.
Ariel Miller, 29 of Shaker Heights, and Cartier Malone Pickens, 31 of Cleveland, were charged last week under a secret indictment with planning a staged holdup at the store where Miller worked on February 5, 2023, in what prosecutors described as an "inside job."
Pickens is charged with the following:
- One count of Aggravated Robbery
- One count of Robbery
- One count of Aggravated Burglary
- One count of Burglary
- One count of Conspiracy
- One count of Grand Theft
- One count of Telecommunications Fraud
- Three counts of Having Weapons While Under Disability
- Three counts of Receiving Stolen Property
Miller was charged as follows:
- One count of Aggravated Robbery
- One count of Robbery
- One count of Conspiracy
- One count of Grand Theft
- One count of Telecommunications Fraud
- Two counts of Unlawful Transactions in Weapons
- Three counts of Receiving Stolen Property
According to the prosecutor's office, at 6 p.m. the evening of the robbery Pickens allegedly walked in the store on Lakeshore Boulevard and headed toward the back to approach Miller, who was heading towards the store's cash office. Pickens allegedly pressed a gun to Miller's back and told her to "keep walking."
When the pair reached the cash office, Pickens handed Miller his backpack and demanded "she fill it up," prosecutors said. Miller opened up the safe and handed Pickens the money before Pickens allegedly pushed her away from the safe and pistol-whipped her in the head. Prosecutors say Miller fell to the ground before Pickens fled the scene, and Miller called Euclid police to report the robbery.
An investigation by Euclid and Shaker Heights police revealed the couple had allegedly planned the robbery over text messages the day before and day of the incident. Police found "numerous" text messages between the two, including a Feb. 4, 2023 text reading "tomorrow ... stick to the plan" and instructions on Feb. 5 to "Have your hood on" and "Make sure yu [sic] delete everything out your phone including this."
Pickens and Miller are set to appear in court the morning of next Tuesday, Oct. 15.
