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Four Arrested for Area Robberies Including the Robbery and Shooting Of Off-Duty Sheriff’s Deputy

Release Date: April 1, 2005

In joint cooperation with:
Germantown Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Memphis Police Department Robbery Squad and Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force

Investigators with the Germantown Police Department, Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, Memphis Police Department Robbery Squad and Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force have arrested four people who they believe are connected to several area robberies.

Three of those arrested have been connected to the robbing and shooting of off-duty Sheriff’s Deputy Rodney Diggons this past weekend. Three of the suspects have been charged with the crimes. Charges are pending against the other suspect.

Just after two o’clock last Sunday morning, March 27, Deputy Diggons was approached by two armed robbers outside of his Germantown condominium near Poplar at Kirby. Deputy Diggons was robbed of his wallet and shot during a scuffle with the attackers. His injuries were not life-threatening.

Detectives have now charged Eric Griffin, 18, of Memphis, along with two other male juveniles, both 16, in connection with the attack. Eric Griffin is pictured in the photograph at the beginning of this article.

Investigators also believe Griffin and another man were involved in robbery that happened on March 22 at another condominium development in Germantown just after 10:30 p.m.

At that location, a couple was robbed in the parking lot of their condominium near Kimbrough Road.

Detectives say the four may be responsible for more than 10 other crimes at various locations throughout Memphis and Shelby County. The case remains under investigation and more arrests are expected.

Eric Griffin is being held in jail at the Germantown Police Department. The other two suspects are at the detention facility at Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court.

Griffin has been charged with one count of especially aggravated robbery in the incident involving Deputy Diggons. He faces two counts of aggravated robbery involving the couple attacked on March 22. Griffin’s accomplice in that crime is in custody and is expected to be charged later today.

For additional information, contact Captain Frank Hester of the Germantown Police Department at (901) 757-7318 or Lt. Jeff Clark of the Memphis Police Department’s Project Safe Neighborhoods Task Force.

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