Syracuse man arrested for armed robbery of massage salon in Clay

CLAY, N.Y.  — The Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office announced Tuesday that sheriff’s detectives have arrested a 29-year-old Syracuse man in connection with the armed robbery and burglary of a massage salon in Clay earlier this summer.

Detectives charged Davonte Gainey with 1st degree robbery and two other related charges. They say that on Aug. 1, Gainey entered the Aromatherapy Spa at 7194 Oswego Road in Clay, where he allegedly displayed a handgun and demanded money from an employee. After receiving a “minimal amount of money,” Gainey fled from the area in a white SUV, the sheriff’s office said in a news release. The employee was unharmed “but out of fear, the victim did not immediately report the incident to police.”

On Aug. 16, Gainey returned to the spa, where he unlawfully entered the business through a window and stole property, detectives say. Gainey fled from the scene prior to police arriving.

Gainey, who was being held in the Onondaga County Justice Center on an unrelated robbery charge in DeWitt, was arrested Monday for robbery in the 1st degree, burglary in the 2nd degree, and petit larceny. He was arraigned in Centralized Arraignment Court and continues to be held in the Justice Center on bail set at $25,000 cash/$50,000 bond.