A Norman man was arrested early Friday morning after he pointed a firearm while attempting to rob a Brownstown convenience store, police report.
James Edward Joseph Sizemore, 27, was arrested at his home on charges of attempted armed robbery and pointing a firearm.
At 12:17 a.m. Friday, Officer Steve Scarlett with the Brownstown Police Department responded to an armed robbery report at Hucks Food and Fuel at 113 W. Commerce St.
The suspect, later identified as Sizemore, demanded money from the on-duty attendant while displaying a firearm and then fled the scene. He was not able to get away with any cash or other items from the store, police said.
Brownstown officers, Jackson County Sheriff’s Department deputies and a K-9 from the Seymour Police Department searched the area but did not immediately locate the suspect.
Police, however, were able to locate evidence that was left on the scene and in the area that Sizemore used to attempt to mask his identity. Also, after a review of in-store surveillance video, Reserve Officer Kevin Settle with the sheriff’s department recognized Sizemore and was familiar with the location of his residence.
Settle and Officer Clint Burcham with the sheriff’s department then went to the home, where they located Sizemore and further evidence.
Sizemore was arrested and booked into the Jackson County Jail in Brownstown at 4:29 a.m. Friday without bond pending his initial hearing.
Also assisting were officers Adam Nicholson and Mark Holt with the sheriff’s department, off-duty Crothersville Officer J.L. McElfresh and Brownstown Detective John Long.
Seymour Police Chief Bill Abbott said Friday afternoon that his department is investigating the Brownstown incident as being connected to the robbery of a Marathon station at 933 W. Tipton St. in Seymour on Wednesday afternoon.
In that incident, a man displayed a handgun and took an undetermined amount of cash and merchandise, including cigarettes. That suspect was described as a white male in his early 20s with medium height and build. In video security footage, the man had his head and lower face covered and was wearing a black-hooded sweatshirt, blue jeans and a black mask, Abbott said.
No one was injured in the incident, and there were no customers in the store at the time, Abbott said.
The man left the station on foot and first headed south before turning east, Abbott said. An owner of a business behind the gas station said she saw the man run by her business south toward Laurel Street and turn on Laurel Street.
Seymour officers along with officers with the Jackson County Sheriff’s Department and the Indiana State Police responded to the area to search for the man.
The store reopened later in the afternoon.