Robbery suspects in custody


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Robbery suspects in custody

By SUE WATSON
Staff Writer

Two separate suspects have been identified in the armed robbery of two liquor stores in Byhalia, according to police chief Gary Looney.

He said one suspect has been taken into custody and charged with armed robbery and possession of a weapon by a felon, while the other suspect is in Holly Springs held on other charges.

The first armed robbery took place Friday, Oct. 14, at 9:48 p.m. at a liquor store on Highway 178 in Byhalia and the more recent one happened Tuesday, Nov. 22, at 7:41 p.m. at a package store on Stonewall Road, he said.

The suspect identified in the Stonewall Road armed robbery was arrested just over 24 hours later at an apartment complex in Byhalia, the chief said.

The liquor store had video of the suspect at the store on Stonewall – showing the man wearing a bandanna over his face and a hoodie over his head. After taking cash, the suspect fled on foot and was found at the Devonshire Apartments about midnight Wednesday, he said.

Jonathan Guy, 28, was arrested and charged with armed robbery of the Stonewall Road package store and was also charged with possession of a weapon by a felon, Looney said. He is in jail on $400,000 bond. Looney said about $11 believed to have been taken in the robbery was found behind the nearby dollar store and the handgun believed to have been used by the suspect was also recovered.

The armed robbery of the liquor store on Highway 178 yielded one suspect and a possible accomplice. The suspect is in custody in the Marshall County jail, held on other charges by the City of Holly Springs, Looney said. His name is being withheld pending formal charges.

This suspect is believed to have gone into the liquor store wearing facepaint. The suspect demanded cash at gunpoint, left the store on foot but a witness said the suspect was believed to have gotten into a silver Alero (Oldsmobile) with tinted windows and chrome wheels driven by a putative accomplice.

Looney said the suspect is being held on charges in a shooting incident October 21 in the Hudsonville Road area in Holly Springs.

He praised team effort in making a quick suspect identification and arrest in the Tuesday, Nov. 22, robbery. Sheriff department investigators Jason Mills and Cody Teel along with Looney, Lt. David Taylor and investigator Kerry Reid with Byhalia worked side-by-side from the initial call Tuesday night until the arrest was made around midnight Wednesday. Also assisting the investigation were Byhalia officers Billy Suggs, Walter Jones, James Houston and Lt. Bobby Clayton, K-9 officer Mike Garner with the Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and Chad McClatchy with the DeSoto County Sheriff's Department.

Looney said these are the first armed robberies since he was named chief just over four years ago. He attributed the arrests to the cooperation between officers of the Byhalia Police Department, Marshall County Sheriff’s Department and citizens of Marshall County.

“I’d like to recognize the good teamwork between the agencies,” he said. “They worked side-by-side with us from start to finish and I appreciate their efforts.

“We’re trying to solve crime. That was a holiday they could have been home with their families. We worked Wednesday to the early morning hours Thursday (Thanksgiving Day) and I appreciate that.

“I can call day or night and they always are there to assist us to make our community a safe place to live.”

The department responded to the following calls for the week ending November 28 – alarms, 2; escorts, 10; disturbance, 1; assist, 1; motor vehicle accidents, 2; arrests, 4; medical, 3; robbery, 1; harassment, 1, and 9 miscellaneous calls.

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