Neosho man arrested for robbing two local Dollar General Stores

Following two armed robberies at local Dollar General Stores, the Newton County Sheriff’s office issued the following press release:

As a result of 2 recent armed robberies of local Dollar General stores, Newton County Sheriff’s Detectives were staking out other store locations. The Dollar General store in Granby reported a suspicious person in that store earlier in the day.

A Detective watching the store observed a vehicle pull in that matched a possible suspect vehicle. When he approached the vehicle, he observed the driver with black paint on his face. This matched the previous 2 robberies.

The suspect fled and after a short pursuit he left the roadway and into a ravine. While Officers were approaching he yelled at them that he had a gun and to stay away. Other Officers arrived to set up a perimeter, but the suspect had fled on foot in the dark.

During the search a MSHP officer located a handgun lying in the road. The investigation continued and Detectives were able to determine that the suspect was at the Bed and Bath hotel on 59 Highway in Neosho.

Officers approached room number 6 where he was found attempting to remove the paint from his face. He was taken into custody and transported to the Sheriff’s Office where he gave a statement about the 2 previous Robberies.

The suspect is a 62-year-old Neosho man. Several hundred dollars believed to be from the robberies were recovered from the hotel room. Charges are being requested for several felonies, including 2 counts of First Degree Robbery and Armed Criminal Action.

Sheriff Chris Jennings