Suspect sought in three armed store robberies
By Nick Hiltunen
Published in News on July 1, 2009 1:46 PM
Three convenience store clerks were robbed at knife point early this morning, and authorities believe the three incidents may be related.
On-call Detective Mike Kabler responded to the first two robberies, the first at 1908 U.S. 117 South around 1:50 a.m., Sheriff's Office Capt. Tom Effler said.
The second robbery was at 2035 U.S. 70 West, reported just before 4 a.m., the captain said.
Then, a third robbery was committed at the Kangaroo at 2606 N. William St., around 6:30 a.m., Goldsboro police Sgt. Chad Calloway said.
In the third robbery, the suspect reportedly "jumped" the counter and held a knife to a female clerk's throat before emptying the cash register, Calloway said.
Both Goldsboro police and the Wayne County Sheriff's Office believe the incidents were perpetrated by the same man.
"It appears they might be related," Effler said, because the descriptions of the suspect and his weapon were similar. The suspect also allegedly took Arizona-brand beverages in all three robberies before demanding cash from the clerks, authorities said.
The suspect was described in all incidents as a black man with a stocky build, wearing a baseball cap.
Effler said the suspect first went to the beverage refrigerator before confronting the clerks with a knife, taking an undetermined amount of cash.
"In both situations, the suspect went to the drink cabinet, and I guess got a drink out, and then went to the clerk and demanded cash," Effler said.
The suspect picked an Arizona tea in the first robbery, then an Arizona fruit punch drink in the second. The suspect took the stolen drink with him in both robberies, Effler said. Calloway said the suspect again took an Arizona iced tea in the Kangaroo robbery.
The description of the suspect varied slightly, Effler said. The man was described as between 5-feet-8 inches tall and 6-feet tall, weighing about 200 pounds, according to the reports.
In the Kangaroo robbery, the clerk reported the suspect may be as tall as 6-feet 2-inches, Calloway said.
In the second robbery, a witness described the suspect as wearing a red hat, a dark-colored shirt and dark pants, the Sheriff's Office captain said.
In all three robberies, witnesses reported seeing a burgundy-colored vehicle in the area. No further description of the vehicle was available, Effler and Calloway said.
Goldsboro police were working on obtaining a still photograph from surveillance video this morning, the police sergeant said.
Anyone who believes they may have information about the case is asked to call the Crime Stoppers hotline at 919-735-2255, or Kabler, the assigned detective, at 919-731-1481.