Man linked to robbery attempts in Raleigh, Durham

Police say Michael Hugh Wood tried to unsuccessfully to rob three stores - the Oreck Vacuum store, at 8321 Brier Creek Parkway, the Subway restaurant, at 7850 Alexander Promenade, and the Plato's Closet, at 7920 Skyland Ridge Parkway.

Posted 10:33 p.m. Jan 10, 2016 — Updated 3:36 a.m. Jan 11, 2016

DURHAM, N.C. — Raleigh police on Sunday linked the robberies of three businesses to a man arrested for the same crime in Durham Saturday morning.

Michael Hugh Wood, 45, faces a single charge of common law robbery in connection with the robbery of a bank on North Roxboro Street in Durham and charges of attempted common law robbery in connection with crimes Tuesday evening at Raleigh's Brier Creek shopping area.

Police say Wood tried to unsuccessfully to rob three stores – the Oreck Vacuum store, at 8321 Brier Creek Parkway, the Subway restaurant, at 7850 Alexander Promenade, and the Plato’s Closet, at 7920 Skyland Ridge Parkway.

In each location, a man implied that he had a weapon and asked employees for money. At his last stop, an employee of Plato's Closet said he was frightened off when she pushed a panic button to summon police.

The employee, who did not want to be identified, said she was not frightened during the incident. She described the man as seeming desperate man and down on his luck.

After Durham police arrested Wood on Saturday night, he complained of a medical issue and was taken to Duke Hospital. Raleigh police spokesman Jim Sughrue said Wood would be served with Raleigh's arrest warrants once he is released from the hospital and booked into the Durham County Jail.

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