More charges for man accused of Wichita auto parts store robberies

The man accused of committing armed robberies at several Wichita auto parts stores and a convenience store is facing additional criminal counts in federal court following a grand jury indictment.

Brandon V. Wells, 22, is now charged with seven counts of robbery and two counts of brandishing a firearm in the series of holdups at O’Reilly Auto Parts, AutoZone and Circle K stores in Wichita between Jan. 27 and Feb. 6, U.S. Attorney Tom Beall said Thursday in an e-mailed statement. Prosecutors originally charged him with four counts last week.

If convicted, Wells faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each robbery count and at least seven years on each count of brandishing a weapon, Beall said. A judge could also order he pay fines.

Wells was captured on Feb. 6 by two Wichita police officers who staked out the O’Reilly Auto Parts store at 4818 E. Lincoln after hearing that the O’Reilly store at 3109 E. Pawnee had just been struck. Wells is one of two men thought to have carried out the robberies, but the other got away the night of Wells’ arrest.

This story was originally published February 16, 2017 at 3:20 PM with the headline "More charges for man accused of Wichita auto parts store robberies."