03/28/08 — Three armed robberies reported

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Three armed robberies reported

By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on March 28, 2008 1:54 PM

Goldsboro police investigated an armed robbery and another weapon-involving robbery attempt within a few hours of one another, according to reports.

In the same time period, the Wayne County Sheriff's Office handled another armed robbery on 117 South in Dudley, according to reports.

The first incident took place early Thursday morning in the 300 block of East Ash Street, police said.

A 17-year-old Eastern Wayne High School student said he was threatened by two men in a white Dodge four-door sedan, the report shows.

The student, Lawrence Charles McIntyre Jr., said he was walking east on Ash Street from William Street when approached by the car carrying two men he did not know, according to the report.

One of the men wielded a black semi-automatic handgun and demanded cash or property of McIntyre, according to the report.

Just a few hours earlier, a man who robbed a West Grantham Street convenience store reportedly gave his victim permission to call police as he left the store with stolen property, according to a report.

Reginald Aytch of Pantry No. 927 said a thin black male entered the store late Wednesday pointing a double-barrel sawed-off shotgun and demanding cash and cigarettes, Goldsboro police reported.

Aytch was coerced into stuffing a bag with 35 packs and one carton of Newport cigarettes valued at about $160, authorities said.

The robber also took an unknown amount of cash after the clerk put the cash drawer on the counter, police said.

According to the report, as the suspect was leaving, he said "You can call the police now."

Police describe the suspect as a thin black male weighing 145 pounds, height about 5 feet 8 inches tall and wearing a camouflage-style jacket and a full black face mask. He reportedly fled the store on foot heading east, police said.

Also, early Thursday morning a South Center Street man said unknown suspects approached him at an ATM at a gas station on 117 South in Dudley, a deputy reported.

Gary Minchew said a person he did not know approached him with a firearm and a knife, but did not get anything from him, according to the report.

Sawed-off shotguns are classified as "weapons of mass destruction," which produces an extra charge against those who carry them.

Using weapons in the commission of a crime also makes the offense more serious, and offenders who use violent means in robberies are subject to more jail time, according to state statute.