Police searching for armed robber

By Brian Smith
Register News Writer

July 09, 2009 08:39 pm

— Richmond police are searching for a man they say robbed a local convenience store at gunpoint Tuesday evening.
The owner of the Park-It Market on Bradbury Pointe Drive reported to police that a man wearing a knit cap and sunglasses had entered the store around 8 p.m., pretended to shop and then approached the counter and demanded money while brandishing a gun, said Sgt. Willard Reardon, Richmond Police Department spokesman.
The robber is described as a white male in his late teens or early 20s, approximately 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 150 pounds, with short reddish hair and freckles, Reardon said.
Reardon said the robber is believed to have fled toward University Mobile Home Park, and the department’s two canine units tracked the suspect to the Creekside development before losing the trail.
An undetermined amount of money was taken from the cash register in the robbery, Reardon said.

Burglary arrests
A Berea man and two Richmond residents were arrested Sunday in connection with a Saturday evening burglary at a home in the 400 block of E. Main Street.
Ronald D. Mullins, 29, of Berea, is charged with second-degree burglary, while 28-year-old Perry Pingleton, of E. Main Street, and 28-year-old Jennifer A. Pingleton, of E. Walnut Street, were charged with criminal facilitation to second-degree burglary.
Reardon said investigators identified the trio as suspects in the theft of two Sanyo televisions, a Dell laptop computer, two Kodak digital cameras, two MP3 players and some prescription medication from the home.
Mullins was arrested following an interview Sunday at the Richmond Police Department and was lodged in the Madison County Detention Center. Both Perry Pingleton and Jennifer Pingleton were charged following interviews and released.
The stolen items have not been recovered, Reardon said.

Stolen air conditioner
Two residents of Big Hill Avenue were charged with receiving stolen property Sunday after their neighbor recognized his stolen air conditioner in the window of their home.
Geri Theetge, 29, and Johnny Bruner, 27, were each charged with receiving stolen property, more than $500, after the officer investigating a burglary at a nearby residence identified several of the missing items in their home.
The victim told police the items had been taken between July 2 and July 5. Reported missing were the air conditioner, a sword, a Lexmark scanner/printer, a Fisher television, a Toshiba DVD player, CDs, DVDs and computer discs, a television converter box, a dual-window fan, a shot glass cabinet, an entertainment center, two black lights, a VCR, two Zippo lighters, a box of tools, a lava lamp, a floor fan, a Confederate flag and a wall photo.
When the officer went to Theetge and Bruner’s residence to question them about the air conditioner, he observed several of the stolen items and recovered the shot glasses, black lights, lighters, the scanner/printer, the DVDs, CDs and discs, the sword, the box of tools, the wall photo and the air conditioner.
Theetge and Bruner were lodged in the Madison County Detention Center.

Debit card fraud
A Big Hill Avenue woman was arrested Monday for receiving stolen property, fraudulent use of a credit card and second-degree forgery after police say she used an ATM/debit card that was in a wallet which was reported stolen Saturday.
Patricia L. Sizemore, 26, was arrested after the victim told police the card had been used four times on Friday before he reported it missing. Police identified Sizemore as the woman who allegedly used the card to make $194 in purchases at Sonic Drive-In, Redi Mart and Family Dollar.
Sizemore was lodged in the Madison County Detention Center.

Other crimes
• Approximately $3,700 in rings were reported stolen from a residence on Keri Ann Drive after the owner told police she had taken the rings off while cleaning house and left them on a counter.
The victim told police the front door was unlocked while the rings were on the counter, Reardon said.
The missing rings are a yellow and white gold engagement ring with a large diamond, a white gold wedding band with approximately 10 small diamonds and a yellow gold ring with a blue topaz setting. All of the rings were size 4 1/2, the victim said.
• A Sony PSP with a game and a checkbook were reported stolen Monday after a patron of the Players Club on Water Street told police his car had been broken into.
The driver’s side window had been broken out to gain entry into the car, Reardon said. The checkbook contained checks, a debit card and identification.
The items were valued at $265.
• A Samsung cell phone was reported stolen at the playground at Lake Reba Park on Tuesday after the owner left it on the ground and it went missing.
The white and teal phone was valued at $250.
Anyone with information about these crimes is asked to contact the Richmond Police Department at 623-1162 or 623-8911.

Brian Smith may be reached at bsmith@richmondregister.com or at 624-6694.