3 stores robbed in 4 days

Published 12:31 pm Tuesday, June 23, 2015

ORANGE — A string of convenience store robberies around Orange have local police on the lookout.

The Orange Police Department is investigating a string of robberies at three convenience store locations around Orange. The robberies occurred from June 19 through June 22.
The most recent report was of an aggravated robbery at the Texas Country Store, which is located at 3701 16th St. in Orange. The incident occurred at approximately 8:30 p.m., Tuesday, June 22 when an unidentified man, described as a white male wearing a green hoodie-style shirt.
The culprit entered the store and displayed a black handgun and told customers inside the store to lie down on the floor, while he demanded money from the clerk. He then fled the scene with an unspecified amount of cash.
The first robbery was reported at approximately 6 p.m., Friday, June 19, at the Stop and Drive location at 1801 DuPont Drive in Orange. The store owner informed police he had been robbed and the “suspect” fled the store following the incident.
The second incident occurred at approximately 9:45 p.m., Saturday, June 20 at Star Stop No. 3, which is located at 1402 16th St. in Orange. According to the report, an unidentified man entered the store and demanded money from the store employee. The robber made away with an unspecified amount of cash, as well as two packs of Newport cigarettes, which is also demanded from the clerk.
At least two of the locations provided video footage to the Orange Police Department, along with witness statements.
Although the incidents are troubling, Capt. Cliff Hargrave said these robberies appear to be separate incidents.
“As far as we can tell, these crimes have all been committed by different people,” Hargrave said. “It is not the same person. We’ve had quite a few robberies in Orange this year, but we’ve been able to capture and put a lot of these people away. We will continue to do that with these instances.”
Anyone with information regarding these robberies is asked to call the Orange Police Department at 409-883-1026.