Two teenagers suspected of conducting armed robberies of local stores were arrested last week.
Last Wednesday at about 9:25 p.m., the Dollar General on East Caswell Street in Wadesboro was robbed after a suspect armed with a handgun entered the store looking for money, according to a release from Wadesboro Police Captain Brandon Chewning.
Before police arrived, the suspect, described by police as an African-American male wearing dark clothing, disappeared with an undisclosed amount of money.
Just a day later on Thursday, the Family Dollar, also located on East Caswell Street, was robbed at about 8:58 p.m. in a similar manner, with the suspect brandishing the gun and demanding money. This suspect was also an African-American male in dark clothing, according to the release.
The suspect managed to escape the store. “The suspect ran out the store where another male subject began to run with him,” the release said. “Officers en route to the armed robbery were able to apprehend one of the suspects.”
Police arrested a second teenager on Sunday, who is suspected of participating in both robberies. Both juvenile suspects are in their mid-teens, according to Chief Thedis Spencer. They were transported to a detention center.
Michelle Hildreth, manager of the Dollar General, said she was not in the store at the time of the robbery but arrived as soon as she heard about it. “The robbery took one minute, that’s it,” she said. “There was customers in the store, [the employees] did exactly what they should’ve done as far as handling the situation and got him out of here.” She said the suspect was wearing a Batman hoodie.
There were two employees and three customers in the store at the time of the robbery. Hildreth said her employees “definitely” acted according to store protocol, even when one cashier was facing the gun. “He was freaking out, pointing the gun in her face, and she just told him, ‘Calm down, don’t hurt anybody,’” Hildreth said. “She gave him the money and he left. She did exactly what she should’ve done.” This situation is covered in employee training.
The three customers who were shopping in the Dollar General were able to hide during the robbery. “Actually, a couple of the customers stood down the aisles and one of them hid in the back room, just ran to the back room,” Hildreth said. “So I’m guessing it was pretty scary for them. I think they saw him before he saw them, so they kind of hid.”
This was the first time there has been an armed robbery at her store, though she said it’s been almost exactly four years since another robbery. “Four years ago there was a strong-armed robbery,” Hildreth said. “No weapon, but the guy came in and put his arm around the clerk, got her in a chokehold, demanded money and she gave it to him. They caught him right away.”
Although the suspect escaped, Hildreth said the police response was good, with officers from the Anson County Sheriff’s Office and the Wadesboro Police Department arriving in about three minutes. “They did awesome, shut down everything, watched the tape, and just did an awesome job,” she said. “They brought the dog, had the dog up here from the sheriff’s department. They were pretty detailed about it and did good. My girls did good, too.”
Nesha Comeaux, manager of the Family Dollar, said her store also had two employees and some customers in the store at the time of the robbery. Although she was not in the store during the robbery, Comeaux also said that her employees acted according to store protocol.
Similarly to the Dollar General robbery, Comeaux said the suspect was wearing a Batman shirt and waved the gun in the cashier’s face while demanding money. Previously, the store had never been robbed, according to the manager.
Comeaux was also pleased with the police response, saying that officers arrived between two and five minutes of being alerted of the robbery.
In North Carolina, juveniles under the age of 15 who commit a crime, and 16- and 17-year-olds with undisciplined complaints, have their case presented to the Division of Adult Correction and Juvenile Justice of the N.C. Department of Public Safety, according to the website for the department.