Crime & Safety
Do you know this man? Oxford police hoping you can ID armed robber
Oxford Police are hoping someone can identify the suspect.
BY BLAIR DONOVAN
Miami journalism student
Police are still investigating an armed robbery on College Corner Pike.
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A 5-foot-11-inch man entered First American Loans with a handgun on Aug. 25 at 12:11 p.m., police said. The suspect demanded money, then fled through the back door.
Theresa Fischer, the victim working during the robbery, called 911. Oxford police set up a perimeter around the area, tracking the suspect with a canine, but never picked up anything.
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The suspect left in a silver sedan parked behind the business according to a press statement released by the Oxford police. He stole $32,244 according to the original police report.
Chief John Jones said authorities are waiting for evidence from the scene to come back from the crime lab to help identify the suspect, but this process can take months. The police are currently increasing their presence.
“We have officers drive out more, but it’s hard because we have limited resources,” said Jones. “The officers deal with a lot, so it’s tough for them to do this much. Obviously with limited resources we can’t just overwhelm an area, and this is somewhat random so you can only do so much with preventative control.”
Sgt. Jon Varley says Oxford police posted a photo of the suspect, hoping someone can identify him.
“All it would take is the right person calling us and then it could end quickly because once we identify him, then it becomes more of tracking him down,” said Varley.
The most recent armed robbery in Oxford occurred June 8 at Dollar General. This robbery was unrelated, but Jones thinks it’s rare to have two armed robberies within a matter of months. He says robberies typically happen to individuals, not businesses.
To help prevent future crimes within businesses, the Oxford Police Department and Chamber of Commerce will host a class for threats against businesses on Oct. 4.
“If they get a suspicious person, we’re giving them the tools and training on how to respond,” said Jones. “It’s different from a robbery, but the same type of threat exists with a robbery occurring.”
Photo by Blair Donovan