Dec. 5 - Dec. 11: No Good News For Local Criminals

Convenience store owner foils robbery

An armed robber picked the wrong convenience store to hold up last week.

The unidentified suspect, a 5-foot-6 white male still being sought by law enforcement, entered just after 9 p.m. on Dec. 8. Pointing what was described as a black handgun, the suspect demanded cash from the 25-year-old employee behind the counter.

But before any money changed hands, the business owner, seeing what was happening, rushed toward the suspect, who got spooked and ran out of the store without taking anything. Following the fleeing suspect down a surface street, the business owner finally stopped when the attempted robber turned around and fired his weapon. The suspect, who was said to be between ages 20 and 30, then leapt into a waiting vehicle occupied by at least two other people and fled the scene.

The business owner, who was not harmed, said the weapon sounded like an airgun.

Booze won't cruise

A plot to boost alcohol from the Supermarket on Madison Avenue ended in handcuffs for a pair of twenty-somethings last week, when store security caught up to the fleeing suspects.

Michael Cata, 24, allegedly took a large quantity of alcohol from a display to the back of the busy grocery store Thursday evening. According to a report, Cata then got a cardboard box from a store employee, which he filled with the stolen bottles. Sheriff's officials say he passed all points of purchase to a waiting vehicle driven by 20-year-old.

But before they could escape, store security caught up and detained them. Cata was arrested on charges of entering a structure with the intent of theft and conspiracy to commit a felony.