At around 7:50 Tuesday night, authorities received a call from the Sunoco station in Pachuta reporting an armed robbery. The Clarke County Sheriff’s Department quickly responded to the scene and conducted an investigation.
“Upon arrival, the clerk told us that two individuals came in armed with firearms, long guns,” informed Sheriff Todd Kemp. “They did take an undisclosed amount of money. They also took some scratch off lottery tickets and that type of stuff.”
Authorities were given a good description of the vehicle that was used. While it was initially thought to be a PT Cruiser, it was actually a Chevrolet HHR. A description of the vehicle was released so that other agencies could be on the lookout for it. Thanks to some very distinguishing factors, it was quickly located in Lauderdale County.
“The distinguishing characteristic about the vehicle is that the back glass was knocked out, and it had a piece of plastic taped across the back window,” continued Kemp. “We put the alert out to all surrounding agencies, and a Lauderdale County deputy on patrol along I-20 and 46th Avenue spotted the vehicle and was able to do a stop on it.”
One individual, Jacoby Cortez Hersey, was taken into custody. There is still one individual at large, and authorities are actively working to get an identity and locate the suspect.
“The other individual apparently left the vehicle somewhere between Pachuta and Meridian,” said Kemp.
After searching the vehicle, there were items recovered that were taken from the Sunoco.
Fortunately, there were no injuries reported. There was a quick response from everyone in the case, which is what allowed the one individual to be apprehended swiftly.
“It could have been a very dangerous situation, but thank goodness no one was hurt. Thank goodness the clerk complied with their demands and gave them what they asked for so they were able to leave,” expressed Kemp. “Having a quick response and people being observant gave us the information we need to make a quick arrest. He was in custody within 30 minutes of the robbery. We were very lucky that we had neighboring law enforcement to help us out with this deal.”
If anyone has any other information that could assist authorities with locating and arresting the other individual involved in the robbery, contact the Clarke County Sheriff’s Department at 601-776-5252.
