Trish Bennett, Editor
CIRCLEVILLE – City police are seeking the public’s help in identifying the suspects involved in a series of business robberies, the most recent on Thursday at Subway on North Court Street.
No injuries have been reported in any of the seven incidents, but Deputy Chief Bob Chapman said similarities in some of the cases lead investigators to believe at least a couple of the incidents may be related.
“There are some similarities, but we haven’t confirmed anything yet,” Chapman said. “Fortunately, no one is getting hurt, but we’ve got these unsolved ones out there. We don’t believe one person is responsible for all of them, but it’s possible one person is responsible for some. We just want to get the word out there.”
Chapman said investigators are working to secure still photos from video surveillance at each of the locations and are expected to release photos of the suspects early next week.
Details of the cases are as follows:
Feb. 23, 2017: Subway North, 1200 N. Court St.
At about 9:28 p.m., an unknown white male entered the Subway store and told the clerk to give him all the money. The clerk complied and handed the man money. The suspect fled the store and was last seen by witnesses running into Elsea’s Mobile Home Park. The witnesses reportedly attempted to chase after him, but they lost sight of him in the darkness.
The suspect is described as between 5′ 11″ and 6′ 1″ in height, wearing a bright-colored hoodie sweatshirt and dark-colored pants. No weapons were shown or threatened in this incident.
Feb. 19, 2017: Duke & Duchess Shoppe, 235 E. Main St.
At about 3:09 a.m., an unknown white male entered the Duke & Duchess Shoppe and told the clerk to give him all the money. The suspect reportedly apologized for what he was doing but followed the clerk behind the counter and threatened that he had a gun, although the clerk did not see a weapon. The clerk complied and gave the man money from the cash drawer area. The suspect then fled the store and was last seen running southbound through the alley behind the store.
The suspect is described as wearing a gray hoodie with the hood up and gray pants.
Jan. 15, 2017: Kwik Stop Sunoco, 320 W. Main St.
On this date, an unknown white male entered the Kwik Stop Sunoco brandishing a knife and demanding money from the cash register. The clerk gave the man money, and the suspect fled from the store on foot.
The suspect is described as between 5′ 10″ and 6′ 0″ in height, wearing a gray cap, gray long-sleeved shirt and black shorts.
Jan. 8, 2017: Little Bear Market, 131 Harrison Rd.
About 9 p.m., an unknown white male entered Little Bear Market brandishing a knife and ordering the clerks to hand over money. The clerks complied, and the suspect fled the store on foot. He was last seen heading east toward Court Street
The suspect is described as wearing some type of cloth material over his face, a hooded jacket and multicolored pants.
Dec. 29, 2016: Hardee’s, 300 W. Main St.
At about 9:02 p.m., an unknown man entered the Hardee’s restaurant brandishing a knife. He approached one of the employees who was cleaning the front counter, showed the knife and demanded money from the cash register. The employee complied and gave the man money. The suspect then fled on foot from the store.
The suspect is described as a white male between 5′ 10″ and 6′ 0″ in height, wearing a gray sweatshirt, black shorts and some type of mask or facial covering.
Dec. 12, 2016: Speedway North, 1190 N. Court St.
At about 6:17 p.m., a suspect entered the Speedway store, placed a small brown paper bag on the counter and demanded the clerk put money in the bag. The clerk complied, and the suspect fled on foot south across the parking lots located behind the gas station. No injuries were reported, and no weapons were shown.
The suspect is described as a white male between 5′ 5″ and 5′ 8″ in height and slim build. He wore all black clothing, a black ski mask, black sunglasses and black gloves.
Oct. 2, 2016: Speedway North, 1190 N. Court St.
At about 3:45 a.m., two unknown males entered the store wearing costume masks over their faces. One demanded money from the clerk, and the other went behind the counter and took a cash tray or box from under the counter. Both men fled on foot.
No injuries were reported, and there were no reports of weapons being shown or referred to during this incident.
Anyone with information on any of these incidents is urged to contact the Circleville Police Department at 740-474-8888.
This article originally appeared on The Pickaway News Journal
