Two people previously charged with armed robberies in Guelph and Aurora are now accused of committing five more heists, including a second in Guelph and one in Brantford.

Nakeem Johnson, 23, Patrice Lall, 22, and 28-year-old Markham resident Mark Harrison were arrested in August and charged for their involvement in the Guelph and Aurora robberies.

“The investigation did not stop at that point. Further jurisdictions were brought into the fold,” Guelph Police Const. Mike Gatto tells CTV News.

Thursday, police announced that John and Lall, both Toronto residents, have also been charged in the other cases – bringing their total up to seven alleged robberies, all of which took place between last December and August.

Affected stores in southwestern Ontario include a Rogers Plus and a The Source store in Guelph, as well as a Rogers Plus store on King George Road in Brantford.

Guelph Police say a total of $350,000 worth of electronics was stolen between the seven robberies.

Nathan Okoko, a 27-year-old Toronto man, was also arrested and charged for alleged involvement in the Brantford robbery.

“The standard practice was to enter the store, get the employees into a back room by use of a weapon and then steal product from the stores – generally cellphones and electronics,” says Gatto.

Douglas Benton was inside the Rogers store in Guelph, where he worked as an assistant manager, when the robbers arrived for their first heist.

“My first thought was to get them what they want and get them out,” he says.

“I went blank; I went cold. One of the other victims was hysterical – crying, shaking, everything like that.”

In the 10 months since the robbery, Benton has left the retail industry and moved his family from Guelph to Drayton.

“I grew up around there. I want my kids to experience that and not experience the negative side of a city,” he says.

Benton is quick to credit police for their work on the case, saying the officers who investigated the robberies “deserve a raise.”

According to police, a total of 242 charges have been laid, all of which will be dealt with in Guelph courts.

Gatto says further charges are a possibility as the investigation continues.