DATE: Wednesday, October 22, 1997           TAG: 9710220499

SECTION: FRONT                   PAGE: A1   EDITION: FINAL 
SOURCE: BY JON FRANK, STAFF WRITER 

DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH                    LENGTH:   89 lines

FAST-FOOD CRIMINAL GIVEN 282 YEARS

In less than a year, Thaddeus A. Eley went from managing a McDonald's fast food store to robbing one and terrorizing the employees.

Eley used his inside knowledge to embark on a 1996 robbery spree in which police said seven businesses were hit, ranging from hamburger restaurants to a Greyhound bus station.

Eley's descent from businessman to criminal was rapid and dramatic. Circuit Judge Edward W. Hanson Jr. on Tuesday sentenced him to 282 years in prison for committing three armed robberies in July and August 1996 at two Virginia Beach fast-food restaurants and a bus station. A jury last month recommended the stiff sentence, well beyond the recommended sentencing guidelines.

Before sentencing Eley, 27, on Tuesday, Hanson chastised the former fast-food manager for squandering his opportunities.

``You threw them away,'' Hanson said. ``You have some talent, but chose to use it in your way rather than to benefit anybody.''

Eley, Hanson said, used his knowledge of the fast-food business to criminal advantage. He targeted low-security establishments managed by women and struck at the most vulnerable time - early in the morning, as the restaurants were opening.

Eley then typically held a gun to the restaurant manager's head, forced the other employees into the freezer, and took money from the store.

Surprisingly, no one was injured in Eley's crime spree, said prosecutor Cynthia Shepherd.

``We were just fortunate that nobody got shot,'' Shepherd said.

Tuesday's sentence, added to the 41-year sentence Eley received this summer for two robberies in May at a Virginia Beach McDonald's, means Eley has been sentenced to 323 years for his fast-food felonies.

It could have been worse. Shepherd decided on Tuesday to drop other charges against Eley related to the robberies of another fast-food restaurant and a pizza restaurant.

Shepherd said the other charges would amount to overkill. Eley's only chance for release under current state law is the geriatric release program, Shepherd said. He will not become eligible for that until he is a senior citizen.

The robberies for which Eley was sentenced on Thursday could have been avoided, Shepherd said. Had a low bond not been given to Eley after he was arrested for the robberies in May, Eley would never have been able to commit the robberies in July and August.

``I don't know why it happened,'' Shepherd said. ``He was released and then went on this rampage.''

Part of the reason for the rampage might have been revenge. According to court records, Eley was fired from a Chesapeake McDonald's, where he served as manager, in early 1996.

Eley was fired for ``poor work performance,'' according to the court record. After he was fired, Eley was charged with and convicted of embezzling $600 from the store.

The termination ended a relationship between the fast-food chain and Eley that had lasted for about a decade, beginning when Eley was 16 and living in Florida.

He was able to work for McDonald's despite a lengthy record of charges dating back to at least 1989, including grand larceny, dealing in stolen property and probation violation.

The robberies began in the spring of 1996. Eley had four accomplices, including his wife. All have been convicted for their roles in the crimes.

Eley's first two armed robberies took place at a Virginia Beach McDonald's where his wife Sharon worked. She helped plan the crimes, was convicted and is serving a prison sentence. A 17-year-old friend of Eley's who worked at the restaurant also was convicted and sentenced.

Sharon Eley and the girl helped Eley and an accomplice, Lilton Whitehurst, scope out the store. The restaurant was robbed May 5, then Eley robbed the store's manager, who was carrying store receipts, outside a bank May 7.

During their questioning of Sharon Eley, police developed Thaddeus Eley as a suspect. After his arrest, Eley posted bond and was released.

Soon after, police in Norfolk and Virginia Beach began receiving reports of other fast-food robberies. Eventually, Virginia Beach police received a tip from Norfolk police that Eley's car had been seen leaving the scene of a robbery at a Norfolk Arby's restaurant.

Shepherd credited Virginia Beach police for rapidly moving in on Eley after he was identified a second time as a robbery suspect.

``They tracked him,'' Shepherd said. ``They had surveillance set up and were waiting for him to come back home. The robberies stopped right after he got picked up.''

Police also found another of Eley's accomplices - 32-year-old Ronald Anderson, who helped with the second robbery spree - leaving his house when they arrested Eley. Anderson will be sentenced next week. He faces a possible 99 years in prison. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photo]

Thaddeus Eley, a former McDonald's manager, was chastised by the

judge for squandering his opportunities. KEYWORDS: SENTENCING ROBBERY

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