Armed robbery under investigation

Published 5:19 pm Monday, November 6, 2023

A man brandishing what local authorities say was a large knife robbed a Baldwin County business of an undetermined amount of cash Saturday night.

No one was seriously injured during the crime, which happened at the Solo Tobacco & Food Store at the 1310 Irwinton Road.

The robbery suspect, clad in all black clothing and wearing a ski mask, robbed two cash registers before running away. 

The suspect was last seen running along Swint Avenue, according to Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Maj. Brad King, commander of the criminal investigation division.

“He was last seen running in that direction, but whether he had a vehicle and got into it on down the road, I can’t tell you,” King said.

The armed robbery happened shortly after 7 p.m.

King said a K9 team with the Georgia Department of Corrections wAS called to assist deputies and detectives with the sheriff’s office and attempted to run down a track that the suspect may have taken, but such proved unsuccessful.

A perimeter was established in the vicinity of the store by sheriff’s office deputies, detectives, as well as road patrol officers with the Milledgeville Police Department who rendered assistance. 

Deputy Thomas Coley said a female clerk on duty at the time of the crime told him that the armed man walked behind the counter where she was sitting. 

The woman said the man grabbed her right arm and yanked her out of her seat, according to an incident report.

The clerk told the deputy that the man held a large knife up to her head and neck and told her to give him all the cash in the registers. The clerk said she opened both registers.

The robber then reportedly pushed the clerk backward and grabbed the money from both registers before he ran away.

During the robbery, two customers were in the back of the store behind a drink machine playing the slot machines.

Both men told the deputy they heard something hitting the ground, like coins, so they got up to see if the cashier was OK.

Neither of the men reportedly saw the masked robber.

Coley said Deputy Lt. Deidre Byrd attempted to collect fingerprints from one of the cash registers, but was unsuccessful.

Anyone with information about the robbery is asked to call the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office Crime Tip Line at 478-445-5102.