UPDATE: DeFuniak Springs Police concluded the investigation of the robbery of the Petro Food Mart with the arrest of Stacey Renee McRae, 11/10/1969, W/F, of Carrollton, Georgia for Principal to Armed Robbery. McRae was located at a motel in Bay County and was arrested by the Bay County Sheriff's Office. After her arrest, she admitted to driving the male suspect to the Petro Food Mart in order to rob the clerk. The armed robbery suspect was identified by McRae as being Jonathan James Lucas, 01/17/1971, W/M, of Silver Creek, Georgia. DeFuniak Springs Police will be charging Lucas with Attempted Murder, Armed Robbery, Grand Theft, Possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, Concealing/Attempting to conceal identity while in commission of a felony, and Possession of firearm/ammunition by a convicted felon. Lucas is currently being held in the Floyd County Jail in Rome, Georgia where he was arrested on unrelated charges with a hold for Florida. Lucas faces charges from Washington County for a robbery that occurred in Vernon. He also faces possible charges in relation to a robbery of a store in Santa Rosa County. McRae is currently in the Bay County Jail awaiting transfer to Walton County.
ORIGINAL RELEASE:
Officers with the DeFuniak Springs Police responded to an armed robbery that occurred on Friday night at the Petro Food Mart located on U.S. Highway 90 East. Officers and Deputies with the Walton County Sheriff's Office were dispatched at approximately 9:50 PM on January 3rd, 2014 to a robbery by a suspect armed with a handgun.
Officers arrived and found that the store had multiple items strewn throughout, including the cash register. The store clerk reported that a white male, wearing a camouflage jacket and black pants, entered the store brandishing a black handgun and demanded money. The suspect reportedly had a black ski mask like covering to disguise his face.
The store clerk complied, but the suspect became impatient and began retrieving the money from the cash register. The clerk attempted to get the robber to leave by throwing several items that struck the suspect. The agitated robber aimed his revolver at the clerk and fired multiple times, before fleeing the store. The clerk then chased the suspect from the store, where the robber got into the passenger's side of a late 90's maroon Ford Taurus type vehicle. The getaway vehicle was reportedly driven by a white female, which drove east on Highway 90 from the Petro Food Mart.
Fortunately, the store clerk was not injured during the robbery, despite being shot at.
The investigation is continuing and the incident is believed to be related to another robbery that occurred in Washington County. Anyone having information related to this incident are asked to contact Detective Dees at 850-892-8513 or callers may remain anonymous using the TIPS line at 850-910-TIPS (8477).