Laundromat thief suspect shot; alleged accomplice in jail

Police believe a man shot during an attempted robbery Saturday night is responsible for a series of thefts at laundromats in the Dayton area.

The shooting happened at 10:45 p.m. at Laundro-Mania, 1060 S. Smithville Road, according to the Dayton police report.

The store's 68-year-old owner shot and wounded 38-year-old Jeffery L Ellison, according to the report.

Dayton police Lt. Mark Ponichtera said the suspect walked into the laundromat and was confronted by the owner, who recognized the man from a previous theft that was recorded on surveillance video.

The suspect displayed a hammer and threatened to attack the owner, who then drew a firearm and shot him in self-defense, Ponichtera said.

Ellison ran from the store and was located not far away at Smithville and Linden Avenue. He remained a patient at Miami Valley Hospital on Sunday. His condition was not released.

Ponichtera said detectives are working with Riverside investigators to see if the suspect can be linked to other incidents.

"We suspect he may be involved in thefts and robberies in other jurisdictions," he said.

Ellison's girlfriend, 32-year-old Jonni-Lyn Desiree Evans, was arrested as an alleged accomplice, Ponichtera said.

She is being held in the Montgomery County Jail on suspicion of aggravated robbery and three counts of vandalism, all felonies, according to jail records.

The laundromat was open Sunday, but customers had to use a different door because the other one was boarded up after being shattered by one of the shots fired.

In addition to two previous thefts at Laundro-Mania, coin boxes were ripped open on two occasions at the Towne Laundry in Riverside. Police said there was a woman acting as a lookout Thursday in the most recent incident.

Towne Laundry owner Alan Hunter told News Center 7 at the time that he believed the same individual was responsible for both thefts at his business.

"I'm assuming all us laundromat owners would like to see him put away so we can have the peace of mind when we go to bed at night knowing our stores are not going to be destroyed," Hunter said.

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