By JESSA PEASE / Staff Writer

WILSONVILLE— The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office has charged 20-year-old Christopher Damen Tompkins in connection with three armed robberies.

Tompkins, who lists an address on Brasher Road in Wilsonville, was arrested July 7 by the Sylacauga Police Department on a charge of first-degree robbery after the suspect allegedly used a mask of the Marvel comic book character Iron Man during the robbery.

Shelby County Sheriff’s investigators recognized characteristics described in the crime as similar to robberies being investigated in Shelby County. Investigators met with Tompkins while he was in the custody of the Talladega County Jail on another charge for first-degree robbery.

During an SCSO interview with Tompkins, the suspect allegedly confessed to the robbery of Jerry’s Bait and Tackle in Wilsonville in November 2014, CJ’s Country Store in Chelsea in December 2014 and World of Finance in Chelsea in February 2015.

Warrants were issued in Shelby County for Tompkins on three counts of first-degree armed robbery with bonds totaling $180,000. Tompkins currently remains in the Talladega County Jail pending charges in Sylacauga.

“This is an excellent illustration of open communication between neighboring jurisdictions, and a collaborative effort to better serve our communities,” Sheriff John Samaniego wrote in an Aug. 24 release. “I applaud the Sylacauga Police Department and the Talladega County Sheriff’s Office for their investigative efforts and the assistance made available to our investigators.”

First-degree armed robbery is a Class A felony. If convicted, the suspect could spend up to life in prison.