On Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at approximately 1:29 PM, Investigator John Scheetz, received a phone call from Sheriff Kimbrel advising him of an armed robbery that just occurred about 5 minutes prior at a business on Highway 69, North of Blountstown.
Sheriff Kimbrel advised that the clerk on duty stated that a subject dressed in all black fled the store on foot after brandishing a firearm at the Clerk and demanded money. The Sheriff advised that other units were enroute as well as K9 units from the prison.
The store clerk directed attention to a pair of Champion brand slide type shoes that were discarded on the ground outside of the store, persumably in the subject’s haste to flee on foot. She then pointed toward the intersection of Hwy. 69 and Parrish Lake Road near the old bar, indicating the direction of travel which the subject had fled.
The clerk was asked about surveillance footage and she stated that the cameras were working at the time of this occurrence; although when she touched the panic button the lights and power flickered.
A sworn recorded statment from the clerk was obtained wherein she advises that she reported for duty at around 11:00 AM and that there were only a handful of customers inside the store that day. She was also the only clerk on duty on the day. According to her, at or after 1:00 PM, a younger white male entered the store wearing all black with a bandanna around his face. He immediately pointed a black gun, possibly a semi-automatic, in her direction demanding that she put the cash from the register inside a black plastic bag. She then asked the male subject, “Are you serious?” The individual responded, “Yes.” He then fled on foot leaving behind his shoes.
The shoes were later collected as evidence and will be submitted for touch DNA analysis to Florida Department Law Enforcement.
The owner of the establishment, arrived and we went inside the store being cognizant not to touch any areas with respect to further touch DNA evidence.
The video depicted a 1995 to 2006 model Chevrolet Blazer, white in color, entering the parking lot with two white male occupants, with a time stamp of 3:01:40.
The driver emerged from the interior of the vehicle and enters into the store. He doesn’t touch anything and barely speaks to the clerk, who was on her cell phone the entire 1 minute and 45 seconds he was inside.
As soon as the driver exists the store, the passenger is seen taking off his shirt with a sense of urgency. The vehicle backs away and the heads southbound on Hwy. 69 and appears to make a left hand turn onto Parrish Lake Road.
Less than 10 minutes later a white cale subject dressed in all black is observed walking out from behind the structure. He then walks north from there along the fence line with vegetation and then enters the store at approximately 3:12:38. As he enters one can readily ascertain the subject is equipped with a black in color handgun and points it at the clerk who is seated behind the counter on her cell phone. Three of the camera angles goes black and then the video jumps ahead by two minutes and one can only see that she is calling authorities and only the shoes left outside in the parking lot.
K9 tracking teams arrived and established a track that led from the discarded shoes to the area from which the subject emerged from behind the business.
It is believed that the male subject ran back to the getaway vehicle behind the old bar and that the first male on camera entering the store is the getaway driver.
Photos of the subjects and the vehicle were disseminated to officers in the tristate area.
A search through local LPRs was conducted utilizing a make and model search, to no avail.
No tag number could be made out from the video due to resolution.
The investigation is ongoing.
Be First to Comment