Raleigh man charged in hotel robberies, pepper-spray assaults

A Raleigh man is accused of robbing nine businesses, including six hotels, and pepper-spraying four people across Wake County in the past week, according to arrest warrants.

Posted 12:56 p.m. Nov 26, 2011 — Updated 9:52 p.m. Nov 26, 2011

RALEIGH, N.C. — A Raleigh man is accused of robbing nine businesses, including six hotels, and pepper-spraying four people across Wake County in the past week, according to arrest warrants.

Authorities believe that Erik Greyson Huggins, 28, of 2616 Layden St., began his crime spree in Fuquay-Varina on Nov. 19.

Then, warrants state, he pepper-sprayed two women and four men in the face and stole an Xbox from a Walmart store.

Raleigh police believe that Huggins went on to rob six hotels and motels:

Rodeway Inn, at 2641 Appliance Court, at 5:30 a.m. Sunday
Comfort Inn, at 2539 S. Saunders St., at 7:25 p.m. Monday
Wingate Inn, at 2610 Westinghouse Blvd., at 7:38 p.m. Tuesday
Comfort Suites, at 4440 Capital Blvd., at 12:47 a.m. Friday
Sheraton Hotel, at 421 S. Salisbury St., at 5:37 a.m. Friday
Red Roof Inn, at 1813 S. Saunders St., at 5:53 a.m. Friday

He's also charged with robbing two men of $600 at the Play N Trade in Garner on Wednesday. He was caught trespassing early Saturday at a home on North Hills Drive in Raleigh, whose owner had told him he wasn't welcome there, the warrants state.

Huggins either verbally threatened victims or showed them a knife or handgun, according to the warrants.

Authorities are also investigating if Huggins is connected to robberies at the Cary Hilton Doubletree, near Crossroads Plaza shopping center, shortly before 10 a.m. Wednesday, and at two Garner hotels this past week.

In each case, the robber was masked, often by a white or light-colored cloth, and showed or implied that he had a weapon. No one was injured.

Huggins faces four counts each of robbery with a dangerous weapon and common-law robbery, two counts each of simple assault and assault on a female, and one count each of attempted larceny, failure to appear in drug treatment court and felony probation violation.

He was placed in the Wake County jail under a $2,125,000 bond. His first court appearance was set for Monday.

Huggins was placed on probation in January after being convicted of stealing from a store in Wake County, according to state Department of Correction records.

He also has eight larceny-, drug- and fraud-related convictions from New Hanover County, dating to 2007, and has served about six weeks in jail.

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