Published: November 18, 2008 07:53 am      

Police look for robbery suspects

Officers investigate thefts, burglaries

Armed with a baseball bat and what was believed to be a handgun, two white males allegedly robbed a Richmond gas station Saturday night.

An employee on duty late Saturday night told Richmond Police officers he had been accosted by two white males who pushed him inside the building and demanded money.

“One of the males was armed with a baseball bat, while the other held an item under his shirt that the employee believed to be a handgun,” said Sgt. Willard Reardon, RPD public affairs officer.

The employee gave the men money from the gas station’s cash register.

The two suspects also grabbed six cartons of cigarettes from the office, Reardon said. The suspects then fled from the business in the direction of Squire’s Alley.

An RPD K-9 team was called to the area to track the suspects and was able to lead officers to the recovery of several items of evidence, including some of the stolen cigarettes, Reardon said.

However, the K-9 team lost the trail of the suspects in the 900 block of Race Street.

“The employee stated that both robbers were wearing toboggans with eye and nose holes cut into them,” Reardon said.

The suspects are described as being approximately 6 feet tall and of thin build. Both wore blue jeans and one was wearing a maroon hoodie and the other wore a brown hoodie.

The stolen cigarettes were valued at $192, Reardon said, and the amount of cash taken was undetermined.

The investigation is ongoing.

Concealed weapon arrest

Police were called Sunday to a residence on the 300 block of W. Kentucky Avenue to investigate a report that an unknown male was unlawfully inside the resident’s parked vehicle.

The suspect fled the area before police arrived, Reardon said, but officers soon located the man walking nearby on Westover Avenue.

“He fit the description of the suspect who was reported to be in the vehicle on Kentucky Avenue,” Reardon said. “He was detained by officers and a pat down search revealed a loaded 9mm handgun in his pants pocket.”

Police also found a marijuana joint on the man, who was identified as Joshua L. Courtney, 24, of Locust Street, Richmond.

He was charged with carrying a concealed weapon, possession of a handgun by a convicted felon and possession of marijuana.

Courtney was lodged in the Madison County Detention Center.

Other reported crimes:

• On Saturday, police investigated a burglary at the 400 block of Tobiano Drive. A resident there told police he inadvertently left his garage door open overnight and several vehicle audio equipment items were stolen. The stolen items included three JL Audio amplifiers (Models 1800D, 1400D and 4300D), five JL Audio subwoofers, a Kenwood DVD/CD stereo, two sets of JL Audio speakers, models VR000CS and VR600, a custom-built, orange, molded-fiberglass amplified rack and a set of Nissan 350Z factory aluminum wheels and tires, a total value of $11,786. The investigation is ongoing.

• On Saturday, a resident of an apartment in the 2000 block of Edgewood Drive reported the theft of a firearm from his residence. The resident reported that the firearm, a Springfield .45-caliber pistol, was last seen at 11 a.m. the previous day. There were no signs of forced entry into the residence. The total loss was $805.

• On Saturday, the owner of Wade’s Pawn Shop, E. Main Street, told police he had cashed a $599 payroll check for a patron to redeem items in pawn. He was later informed that the check was a fake and no such business or account existed. The check was drawn on the fraudulent account of Lexington LKLP 2456. Charges are pending.

• On Sunday, a resident of an apartment in the 900 block of Villa Drive reported that during the overnight hours, her vehicle had been stolen from the parking lot of the apartment building. The vehicle was described as a dark blue 2002 Chrysler Sebring, valued at $4,500.

• On Friday, a resident of an apartment in the 1100 block of Richmond Green reported that a payroll check in the amount of $292.56 had been stolen from her residence. The check was made out to the resident’s ex-boyfriend and already had been signed by him. There were no signs of forced entry.

• On Thursday, a resident in the 200 block of Evansdale Avenue reported the theft of her prescription medication from her home. She said she was away from home for approximately three hours during the evening when the theft occurred. The medication, Lortabs, was taken from her purse inside the residence. There were no signs of forced entry, and the total loss was $50.

• On Saturday, a resident in the 200 block of Saratoga Circle reported a theft from his vehicle during the overnight hours. The victim said someone had entered his parked vehicle and removed two Nextel cellular telephones. One was a model 850 and the other a model i530. There were no signs of forced entry to the vehicle. The total loss was $200.

• On Thursday, a resident of the 100 block of Westover Avenue reported the theft of an iPod from his vehicle during the overnight hours. The iPod was silver in color, valued at $264. There were no signs of forced entry into the vehicle.

• On Thursday, a complainant reported the theft of several items from a storage unit at D & G Storage on Hi-Lane. The victim reported that the lock to the shed was missing and several items had been taken within the past three days. The missing items included a wicker chair, a cedar chest, two antique sleds and several storage boxes, the exact contents of which were unknown at the time of the report.

• On Friday, a complainant reported the theft of an XM radio from his vehicle. It was unknown exactly where the theft occurred, and there were no signs of forced entry to the vehicle. The total loss was $200.

• On Monday, a resident in the 300 block of Laurel Street reported several items missing from his vehicle after a patrol officer discovered the driver’s side door and trunk open at 4 a.m. The resident reported that his wallet containing numerous credit cards and his driver’s license was missing from the unlocked vehicle.

• On Thursday, police charged a 17-year-old male with theft by unlawful taking under $300 after he was detained by Wal-Mart employees for shoplifting approximately $54 worth of merchandise.

• On Friday, police charged Joshua A. Raleigh, 19, of Berea, with theft by unlawful taking under $300 after he was detained by JCPenney employees for shoplifting approximately $40 worth of merchandise.

• On Saturday, a 16-year-old male was charged with theft by unlawful taking under $300 after he was detained by Wal-Mart employees for shoplifting approximately $45 worth of merchandise.

• On Friday, police charged Justin W. Kendall, 18, of Richmond, with heft by unlawful taking under $300 after he was detained by Kohl’s employees for shoplifting approximately $20 worth of merchandise.

• On Friday, police charged a 17-year-old female with receiving stolen property over $300 after she was found to be in possession of numerous items stolen from students’ purses at Madison Central High School. The juvenile was released to her mother.

• On Friday, a a student reported the theft of a cellular telephone valued at $120 from her locker at Madison Central High School.

Anyone with information related to any of these crimes is encouraged to call the Richmond Police Department at 623-8911 or 623-1162.

Lorie Love can be reached at llove@richmondregister.com or 624-6690.