Alert florist employee thwarts multiple robberies; suspect indicted

DAYTON — An alert florist employee at Furst Florist in Dayton helped lead police to a man after he was accused of using a bamboo stick in a robbery at the flower shop and attempting to rob another woman nearby.

“He said this is a robbery, I want money,” said Chris Divens.

>> Police: Bamboo stick used, women attacked in robberies at 2 Dayton florist shops

Divens said he’d seen Johnnie L. Cundiff, 51, walking on Troy Street several hours before he was accused of robbing the florist days before Valentine’s Day. He was carrying the bamboo stick police said he used during the robbery.

“I shunned him out earlier,” Divens said. “You just don’t judge people.”

Dayton Police said Cundiff ended up coming back into Furst Florist and attacked a cashier with the bamboo stick before leaving and punching a woman in the stomach down the street near the Oberer’s Flowers shop.

“He took out the door,” said Divens. “I saw the cops coming so I pointed them to where he was at.”

Cundiff ended up being arrested and charged with four counts of robbery, court records show. He was indicted by a grand jury on the four counts of robbery.

This isn’t the first time Cundiff has been accused of robbing people.

He was previously convicted back in 2009 for aggravated robbery and ended up getting sentenced to five years probation. In 2018, Cundiff also was convicted of theft and ended up getting another five years probation in that case, court records show.

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