Former Washington state prison guard convicted of robbery, kidnapping

SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A former prison guard at a Washington state prison has been found guilty of charges related to two armed robberies of a Dollar Tree store in Spokane County.

The Spokesman-Review reported (http://bit.ly/2nhzp1Z) Tuesday that Jeffrey Pool had previously worked at the store in Cheney before it was robbed in May 2015 and in July 2016.

During the most recent robbery, the 23-year-old man was accused of taking several employees hostage and tying them up in a back room of the store. Court documents say the zip ties he used were the same ones used by guards at the Airway Heights Corrections Center.

Pool was arrested at the prison when he reported to work shortly after the 2016 robbery.

He was found guilty Tuesday of robbery, assault and kidnapping charges.